1871 Ulysses S. Grant Indian Peace Medal. The Only Size. Silver. 63.48 mm. 1,489.8 grains. Julian IP

1871 Ulysses S. Grant Indian Peace Medal. The Only Size. Silver. 63.48 mm. 1,489.8 grains. Julian IP-42. Extremely Fine, Holed for Suspension.，An attractive example of this distinctive type, a medal that clearly saw good use during its life. The surfaces are silver gray with some remaining lustrous sheen around protected areas, mingled with the usual subtle hairlines that Indian Peace medals picked up while being lovingly polished by their original owners. The sharpness is excellent, balanced against even wear that bespeaks a medal that witnessed years of proud display. The area behind Grants head is somewhat rough from surface corrosion, perhaps ground or water exposure, but the other surface areas are smooth and as-issued. The hole shows good wear, as does the rim above; it is unclear whether these medals were issued with a ring or simply distributed holed. Some light marks are seen, including a little batch at the right side of the obverse among the legends. The reverse is a bit granular, with a couple of pits in the area of GOOD WILL, as struck. Like most silver Indian Peace medals of this era, the Grants were struck on cast planchets, thus permitting the high relief portraits of the era to have enough medal for proper striking. The rims, often chewed up on examples of this type, are intact here. The distributed mintage of 300 silver examples has made this a medal deemed "common" in the context of the Indian Peace medal series, but far fewer than that number have survived, and many are quite "beat up." Given their distribution at the height of the Indian Wars on the Plains, an awarded Grant Indian Peace medal is a historic relic beyond compare.<p><p><p><p>，From our February 2014 Americana Sale, lot 37.，