1825 John Quincy Adams Indian Peace Medal. Silver. First Size. Julian IP-11, Prucha-42. About Uncirculated. 75.5 mm. 2391.1 grains. Pierced for suspension, as issued. A strikingly attractive medal with considerable prooflike character remaining in the fields and inviting sharpness throughout the motifs which retain traces of frost. In fact, close study of the portrait and bust reveal traces of the original die finishing that is rarely seen on any silver Peace medals. The full rims show a few tiny marks, and close study will reveal numerous small scratches, hairlines, nicks and blunt abrasions, but the overall eye appeal is superb, and this is clearly among the finer survivors of the issue. Someone tried to gently duplicate the letters PEA(CE) in the field beneath that design element, but gave up after the first three letters-a curious addition! A series of scratches is also noted against the inner rim in places. The color is lovely, with considerable silver brilliance at the centers while soft blue-green and gold iridescence accents the peripheries. Some stress and smoothing within the suspension piercing suggest this medal was indeed worn for a time, but worn carefully, as the details remain unusually sharp. Despite the noted largely microscopic surface flaws, this is a very pretty medal and, again, certainly among the finest survivors of this Great Chief medal. The writers roster of known survivors includes 22 examples of the first-size John Quincy Adams, with eight of them in institutional collections. This has been off the market for nearly 35 years. From the Ronald A. Slovick Family Collection. Purchased from Presidential Coin and Antique, November 1989.
