ca. 1903 George Washington Peace and Friendship Medal. Bronze. First Size. Prucha-60. MS-63 BN (NGC). 75.6 mm. 3134.0 grains. Beautiful glossy caramel brown with lovely surfaces. A very handsome example of this U.S. Mint issue which amounts to a fantasy issue of the early 20th century. Collector demand drove the Mint to "complete" the Indian Peace medal series in the first decade of the 1900s, beginning with an issue in bronze of the missing John Adams medal which was never actually produced during his administration. Washington (and William Henry Harrison) remained unaccounted for in the series, but it seems that Washington was too great an omission and in 1903 dies for this medal were prepared. Many modern iterations of this medal are seen, and it is not uncommon to find examples that have been plated, pierced and artificially aged to pass as early issued medals to unsuspecting collectors, though no such issues existed. Nice early bronzes like this are really not commonly seen. Though it is in no way a "Peace medal" intended for presentation, the type is often collected with the series, and this is a particularly pleasing example. From the Ronald A. Slovick Collection. Purchased from Presidential Coin and Antique, June 1982.
