Indian Peace Medals

Sharp and Prooflike Second-Size Lincoln in Silver

1862 Abraham Lincoln Indian Peace Medal. Second Size. Julian IP-39, Prucha-51. Silver. Choice About Uncirculated.

62.7 mm. 1509.0 grains. Neatly pierced for suspension at 12:00, as typical of issued medals. Virtually brilliant silver surfaces are accented by just a trace of soft golden brown and blue mottling on both sides. Generous prooflike texture remains in the fields, giving this piece a rather lively appearance. Well-struck, as always, and rather nicely preserved for a medal that has the appearance of having been awarded and worn for a short time. Numerous small nicks, marks and scattered hairlines are readily apparent under magnification, but little is immediately detected upon first inspection other than the generally bright appearance. Excellent sharpness remains throughout the design, with the rims high and relatively sharp on both sides. A slight bit of wear is noted in the piercing. Though we do not have benefit of a long provenance for this one, the quality alone makes it very appealing. We are aware of 23 different specimens in silver, including six in institutional collections. The Lincoln medals are among the most popular in the series, and this is easily among the sharpest few known.

From our (Stack's) May 2007 sale, lot 207.

Estimate: $ 15000