Indian Peace Medals
Largest Size “Millard Fillmore” Bronze Indian Peace Medal
1850-Dated. Millard Fillmore Indian Peace Medal. First & Largest Size. 76 mm. Julian IP-30. Struck in Bronze. Belden-46. Gem Mint State.
Julian IP-30. 76mm. This is a very handsome example of the Largest Size, official 1850 dated Millard Fillmore Indian Peace Medal. It was struck for the United States, using an Obverse die by Salathiel Ellis and a Reverse die by Joseph Willson. These dies themselves were not produced in the US Mint, but rather were prepared by Willson under contract. Willson retained the dies until 1855, when the obverse die was secured directly by the mint. Apparently the mint produced a replacement die for the reverse, as Willson kept the reverse die to fill future orders. The obverse features a bust right of Fillmore; the reverse shows a white man conversing with an Indian chief in front of an American Flag, with a plow and axe between them. This impressive medal is in excellent Uncirculated condition having just a trivial faint contact mark in front of the chest. It has lovely even smooth surfaces with just a few trivial ticks on the cheek and is a perfect carmel-brown color. A similar example of this medal, also in Choice Mint State condition, sold for $1,062 in our August 2006 sale, Lot 1103, while this currently offered medal is much nicer.