1829 Andrew Jackson Indian Peace Medal. Silver. Third Size. Julian IP-16, Prucha-43. Very Good. 50.9 mm. 799.4 grains. This is one of the most well-worn Indian Peace medals we have handled, and it has undeniable charm, as such. Pierced for suspension as issued, but when that hole became dangerously thinned at the rim, it was plugged and a secondary hole was drilled. That hole is now also worn nearly through, with the rim over it little more than a narrow bridge. A replacement iron double loop has been attached and a fine red silk ribbon is still associated with the piece. It seems to have been this very type of ribbon that these were originally presented on, as it looks like what is seen in late 19th-century photographs. However, while old, it is not likely the original ribbon as it would not have withstood the wear this medal has seen.The surfaces are polished to light silver gray with just a trace of light patina at the rims and finely outlining the devices. There is evidence of many tiny nicks, but the overall appearance is quite smooth. On the reverse, a single small die chip is seen outside of the inner rim border just below the 3:00 position, the identifier of the earlier of two die states observed. This die was used to strike all of the medals of this size bearing dates 1809 through 1845.Carl Carlson found just four auction records for a small-size Jackson in silver (and notably, only three in bronze). The Ford sales would add six more, including at least one that was a later restrike in silver. While this suggests that the medals might be common</em>, it seems more likely that fortune simply landed an unusual number of the few survivors in one collectors hands. The present writer has identified 20 specimens, five of which are in institutional collections. At least one of these, and probably more, is a restrike from a later state of the reverse die. One, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, is unpierced.The recipients of these medals held them in high regard and wore them with pride for the sense of respect they were taken to convey. While the unfolding of history would eventually tell a different tale, at the time the medals were distributed, they were prized. They were displayed and frequently passed to heirs as treasured heirlooms and symbols of the social status of the recipients. That status was probably given freely within the confines of the native social group. But, but for potentially hostile outsiders who didnt necessarily fully understand the customs of any given native group to recognize ones status, the marker of such respect was undoubtedly compounded in significance. This medal tells a story of someone who took great pride indeed in whatever this medal meant at the time of its presentation. It seems to have been worn by more than one generation, a trinket passed down that carried with it the gravitas of greatness. Ex John Sanderson du Mont Collection, Little John’s Auction Service, January 2008, lot 182.