Stack's Bowers Galleries

June 2023 Auction  –  13 - 16 June 2023

Stack's Bowers Galleries, June 2023 Auction

US Coins and Exonumia

Part 1: Tu, 13.06.2023, from 6:00 PM CEST
Part 2: Tu, 13.06.2023, from 11:00 PM CEST
Part 3: We, 14.06.2023, from 6:00 PM CEST
Part 4: Th, 15.06.2023, from 12:00 AM CEST
Part 5: Th, 15.06.2023, from 6:00 PM CEST
Part 6: Fr, 16.06.2023, from 6:00 PM CEST
The auction is closed.

Description

1817 James Monroe Indian Peace Medal. Silver. Second Size. Julian IP-9, Prucha-41. Extremely Fine.
62.9 mm. 1454.6 grains. Neatly pierced for suspension at 12 o'clock, as issued. Lovely medium gray silver with soft blue and gold accents on both sides. Slightly deeper toning in the recesses, close to the rims and outlining the devices, serves to accentuate the sharp design features. The surfaces exhibit many tiny marks but only a couple of moderate size are easily noticed without magnification. This is undoubtedly an awarded medal, and yet it remains remarkably sharp for a piece with such history. A small "eraser" mark is noted in the right obverse field, the result of someone having tried to minimize a faint "1.25" scratched into the field-someone who didn't appreciate how such markings add character to these particular medallic artifacts. According to original Mint records. there were 100 second-size Monroe medals struck, but only 12 distributed by the time the Office of Indian Trade (the physical keeper of the medals) closed. All 88 remaining were transferred back to the War Department. This does not mean, however, that those 88 were never distributed, though undoubtedly some remained unused and were melted, as frequently occurred when administrations changed. We are aware of 14 distinct specimens, with one of these not yet confirmed by photographic evidence. Five, including the unconfirmed one, are in institutional collections. This is a rather handsome medal overall, and quite a bit sharper than that we sold in the Larry Ness Collection in November 2020.
From Art Kagin to John J. Ford, Jr. via Harry Forman, March 1962; our (Stack's) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XVI, October 2006, lot 118; our Las Vegas Auction of March 2021, lot 1028. Stack's lot tag included.

Estimate: $15000

Question about this lot?

Bidding

Price realized 9'250 USD
Starting price 1 USD
Estimate 15'000 USD
The auction is closed.
Feedback / Support