(1809) Bronze Medal J-IP-4, Thomas Jefferson

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,240 SP66 11-30-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

This bronze Indian Peace Medal is cataloged as Julian IP-4 and bears the portrait of Thomas Jefferson, though its parenthetical date of 1809 places it at the transition between the Jefferson and Madison administrations. The Julian IP-4 die variety in bronze represents a later striking, produced by the United States Mint for institutional collections or collector demand rather than for diplomatic presentation purposes. Bronze peace medals served an important role in preserving and disseminating the designs of the original silver presentation pieces. While silver medals were produced in limited quantities for specific diplomatic occasions, bronze versions could be struck in larger numbers and at lower cost, making them accessible to museums, historical societies, and private collectors interested in documenting the full series of presidential peace medals. The Jefferson peace medal designs were created during a period when the Mint employed skilled European-trained engravers. The portrait captures Jefferson in the neoclassical style favored by the early republic, presenting him as a statesman in the tradition of ancient Roman leaders. The reverse maintains the standard peace and friendship iconography that connected each new presidential issue to the broader diplomatic tradition, ensuring that Native American recipients would recognize the medal's purpose and significance regardless of which president's portrait appeared on the obverse.

Rarity Notes

Bronze striking of the Julian IP-4 dies. More available than silver presentation pieces but still scarce in the broader numismatic market. Bronze peace medals are collected both as part of the peace medal series and as examples of early U.S. Mint medallic art.

Cross References

Julian IP-4; PCGS #681791