1857 James Buchanan Indian Peace Medal. Copper. First Size. Original Signed Reverse. Julian IP-34. Prucha-50. MS-66 BN (NGC). 76.0 mm. 3971.1 grains. Light mahogany brown with nuances of faded orange on the obverse while the reverse is slightly deeper in tone. Uniformly satiny throughout with lovely soft luster and excellent eye appeal. No surface marks worthy of mention as the few that exist are trivial and have essentially no impact on the aesthetics unless one studies closely. Struck from the intended dies for the issue, as opposed to the rare muling sometimes seen where this obverse is paired with the earlier Fillmore and Pierce reverse. This is a late-state impression, however, as the reverse die has suffered a considerable break inside the rim joining the leftmost Indians feet to it. This die was used for all of the regular-issue Buchanan medals in silver, in an unbroken state, and was again employed for striking the Lincoln medals dated 1862. However, the die broke after just eight large Lincoln medals were struck, necessitating its replacement. The new die did not have the makers name in the exergue of the central medallion as seen here. This medal was therefore struck sometime after September 1862, but there is no way to know when. Bronze Buchanan medals struck from this original signed reverse are much scarcer than those from the replacement reverse. From the Ronald A. Slovick Family Collection. Earlier ex Virgil M. Brand; our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Boyd, Brand and Ryder Collections, March 1990, lot 77.
