Indian Peace Medal - 1845 James Polk, 2nd Reverse, J-IP-25 AE 62.5mm NGC MS64BN

Here’s an attractive bronze restrike of the James Polk Indian Peace Medal (IPM) to add to your collection. Purchase this restrike and you will save thousands of dollars when compared to the original Polk IPMs that were struck in silver. NGC has graded 3 as MS64BN with just one finer.

Creation of the James Polk Indian Peace Medal

Mint Director Robert M. Patterson recommended John Gadsby Chapman, a New York artist, to craft the James K. Polk IPMs. William Medill, who was Commissioner of Indian Affairs, wrote to Chapman to ask how much he would charge to come to the nation’s capital "and taking a small medallion cast of President Polk to be used at the U. States mint, Phila. for the purpose of making medals for the use of the Indian department." Chapman said he would do it for $200, and then made arrangements to arrive in Washington on February 9 in order to sketch the president. The Mint arranged to give Chapman an appropriate medallion upon which to model the bust so that the portrait lathe could be employed to cut the dies.

Portrait of President James K. Polk, circa 1845-1849. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

The artist worked promptly. A mere eight days later Chapman presented the wax model to Franklin Peale, Chief Coiner at the Mint, who began the process of using the portrait lathe to create the three dies needed to produce the James K. Polk medals. Medill told Patterson to strike the pieces as soon as possible, requesting 60 large, 100 medium, and 100 small medals. He sent a box of Tyler medals, worth $440.96, to be melted and used for the Polk medals.

It was on June 15, 1846, that Patterson told Medill that the Polk medals were almost ready. The Commissioner asked about the status of the appropriation for the medals. On June 27, the Indian appropriation bill passed, which included $2,500 to cover the cost of the IPMs. Upon learning that, Medill requested that the finished pieces be sent to him immediately. Many of the Polk medals were never given to the Indians, and were therefore sent back to the Mint to strike medals of the next president, Zachary Taylor. On December 8, 1849, the Mint received a box that contained 49 large medals, 83 medium medals, and 94 small medals that were to be melted down for future IPMs.