1841 John Tyler Indian Peace Medal. Copper, Bronzed. First Size. First Reverse. Julian IP-21, Prucha-45. MS-64 BN (NGC). 75.7 mm. 3490.9 grains. A lovely specimen with light reddish caramel bronze surfaces highlighted by just a trace of pale blue iridescence. A couple of trivial marks and tiny spots may be seen under magnification, but none is distracting. One tiny obverse rim bump is noted over the E of TYLER. Generously prooflike in the fields and just all-around very handsome. With this obverse returns a tiny circular guide mark for piercing the issued medals, above and to the right of the T of PRESIDENT. This piece was struck three times to bring up the relief. This is a superb and seemingly important medal.The bronze large-size Tyler struck from the first reverse is extremely rare. In fact, it has been nearly six years since we handled one, and it was this piece, which last appeared in our August 2014 sale. Going back further, we have examined every offering in our online archives back to 2008, and there has not been a single additional offering of a first reverse Tyler. Two of them are to be found in the ANS Collection, but this is little more than a technical point and has no bearing on what is actually available to collectors. John Ford had three bronze Tylers, and all were from the second reverse. There is none in the Heritage archives, and even the Dreyfuss and Schenkel collections included only second reverse medals. While we have admittedly not made notes on the offerings of these over the years, it is clear that this piece is a great rarity and an important opportunity for any advanced collector of Peace medals. Ex Stacks Bowers Galleries, August 2014, lot 3016.
