Indian Peace Medals
Largest Size Abraham Lincoln Indian Peace Medal Listed As Number 57 “100 Greatest American Tokens & Medals”
1862-Dated. Abraham Lincoln Indian Peace Medal. Largest Size. 76 mm. Julian IP-38. Struck at the United States Mint in Bronze. Engraved by Salathiel Ellis (Obv.) and Joseph Willison (Rev. unsigned). Largest Size. About Mint State.
Julian IP-38. An impressive example having sharp high rims and details. Obverse design: Caped bust right, name and title around, date below. Reverse design: Native American Indian Warrior Scalping scene, with quiver, bow, tomahawk, and Indian bust around central vignette of a Native American plowing his fields, children Playing Baseball in the background. Type without the sculptors signature on the reverse. A lovely red-brown patina, slightly disturbed at the center of the reverse. Perhaps cleaned long ago and exhibiting light contact marks in the fields of both sides, light surface glaze at reverse center. An old collection accession number 23251, inked upon the edge at 12:00. This important American medal also includes the First Depiction of a Baseball Game being played in metallic form. On the center of the reverse is a design showing children playing Baseball.
Indian Peace Medals were instrumental in building relationships with the various Indian Tribes. The recipients valued them highly, for they conferred a prestige that was recognized throughout the nation. The Bureau of Indian Affairs considered them crucial and the Presidents for whom they were issued also knew their importance. Many images from the “Old West” show Indians proudly wearing their Peace Medals (sometimes more than one). Generally, bronze medals were not used for presentation purposes, but in some cases, they were silver-plated and either given, sold, or traded away by unscrupulous individuals to unwitting recipients. Indian Peace medals relating to Abraham Lincoln were, and are, among the most popular of all.