1837 Martin Van Buren Indian Peace Medal. Bronze. Third Size. Julian IP-19, Prucha-44. First Reverse. MS-63 BN (NGC). 51 mm. Handsome deep mahogany-brown with bold details, satiny reliefs and somewhat prooflike fields that contrast a bit, particularly on the reverse. Small marks in the right obverse field and lower reverse account for the grade, but the eye appeal is still quite nice. Boldly struck from the original dies used in striking the issued silver medals, and the reverse is in the most commonly seen die state (that seen on all original Van Burens in this size) with a single small chip inside the right reverse rim. We know that this reverse die chipped further after December 1849, but we dont know when. What is certain, however, is that this strike is earlier than even some of the silver medals struck from this die, those being later restrikes that have masqueraded as originals for years. Small size Van Burens in bronze are fairly scarce, in fact they appear rarer than the silver originals in the marketplace. We have only three examples in our online archives going back more than a decade.
