Stack's Bowers Galleries

November 2021 Baltimore Auction  –  21 - 24 November 2021

Stack's Bowers Galleries, November 2021 Baltimore Auction

Live Sessions: US Coins and Currency

Part 1: Su, 21.11.2021, from 9:00 PM CET
Part 2: Mo, 22.11.2021, from 6:00 PM CET
Part 4: Tu, 23.11.2021, from 12:00 AM CET
Part 3: Tu, 23.11.2021, from 1:00 AM CET
Part 5: Tu, 23.11.2021, from 6:00 PM CET
Part 6: We, 24.11.2021, from 1:00 AM CET
The auction is closed.

Description

1841 John Tyler Indian Peace Medal. Silver. Second Size. Julian IP-22, Prucha-45. Choice About Uncirculated.

62.3 mm. 1540.8 grains. Pierced for suspension at 12:00 as typical, with what is almost certainly the original, mint-applied loop. This is an exceptional medal in every respect. The prooflike surfaces are mostly pleasant light gray with darker gray outlines around the devices and close to the rims, accentuating the design features. Turning the medal in the light, gentle pastel mottling comes into view. In March 2021, we sold another superb specimen, the former Garrett Collection medal, which we noted as "arguably the finest known." That might well be true, but this is very close if not equivalent in terms of quality, and undeniably superior in terms of aesthetic appeal. A few light marks and hairlines, but not a single apology is required. Even portions of the thin wire rims remain. The medals for John Tyler mark a change in the production methods for the Peace medal dies. Instead of hiring die-sinkers to engrave the dies directly, the Mint elected to use its new portrait lathe to cut the dies from a prepared model. This saved both time and expense. Between December 1842 and January 1843, the entire order of John Tyler medals in silver was delivered. This is reported to have been 60 in large-size and 200 in total of the medium and small sizes, combined. It remains unknown how many of the medals were actually distributed but, according to Prucha, more than 40% of the original mintage, by weight, was returned to the Mint and melted for use in making the James Polk medals. From the writer's survey of specimens, it seems that the medals may have been distributed in roughly equal numbers as those located today of the are roughly the same in number for each size. Of this size, seven distinct medals have been accounted for, with three of them in the collections of the ANS, the Gilcrease Museum and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis. As in other instances, the highly unusual frequency of offerings of this issue over the last year is highly deceptive as to long-term availability. While this is the third appearance in 2021, it is worthy of mention that none appeared at auction between the 1925 W.W.C. Wilson sale and the March 1981 Garrett sale. Similarly, another long span of years passed between 1988 and 2006 offerings. History suggests that once this is secured in its next collection, offerings will once again go dormant for a long time as this is the last of the four in private hands to trade across the last year.

From the E Pluribus Unum Collection. Earlier from the W.W.C. Wilson Collection, Wayte Raymond, November 1925, lot 963; F.C.C. Boyd Estate; John J. Ford, Jr.; our (Stack's) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XVI, October 2006, lot 137.

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Bidding

Price realized 20'000 USD
Starting price 1 USD
Estimate 15'000 USD
The auction is closed.
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