Indian Peace Medal - 1817 James Monroe, 2nd Reverse, J-IP-09 AE 63mm NGC MS62BN

A much more affordable option to collecting original silver Indian Peace Medals is to acquire the bronze restrikes that were produced in the 19^th century. This handsome James Madison medal is quite reasonably priced for the collector. NGC has graded six total piece of this restrike issue. Of those, there are 2 in MS62BN with 4 finer.

Creation of the James Madison Indian Peace Medals

There was a great delay in the creation of the James Madison IPMs. When Madison took office in 1809, the Secretary of War wrote to Tench Coxe, Purveyor of  Military Supplies, requesting him to send any remaining Jefferson IPMs to the War Department. He told Coxe that "dies should be procured for striking some of the present President." Coxe proceeded slowly and left his position before finding a suitable artist. Responsibility for that task fell upon the shoulders of John Mason, who was in charge of the Office of Indian Trade.

Portrait of James Monroe. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

Mason had no idea how to arrange for the creation of the Madison IPM, for Washington, D.C. had no skilled engravers, and there were no stamps or presses available. Mason felt that the Mint was the only place that could produce such a medal, and reached out to John Vaughn, a personal friend in Philadelphia.

Vaughn was well connected: wine merchant, patron of the arts, and secretary of the American Philosophical Society.  Mason wanted the hollow Jefferson IPMs to be followed by solid medals such as those crafted by the British. Frontier Indians looked down on the American government for giving them lightweight, hollow medals, and not sturdy, solid ones.

Vaughn hired John Reich, assistant engraver at the Mint, to cut the dies and make arrangements for producing the medals. A usable model of Madison was needed. Thus a bust of Madison was crafted by an Italian artist to serve as a model. It was finished in mid-December of 1812 and packed into a crate. Mason said it would be sent via stagecoach as soon as he could find someone he could trust who was traveling from Washington to Philadelphia.

The War of 1812 delayed arrival of the bust, which made its way to Philadelphia in February of 1814. There were further delays, including changing the reverse design. The cuffed federal eagle was to be removed from the wrist of the Indian who was clasping hands with the white man. It was not until December 17, 1814, that Mason received twelve finished medals dated 1809, the year Madison became president.