(1837) Bronzed-Copper Medal J-IP-17, Martin Van Buren

Coin Details

Auction Record

$5,040 MS65 06-16-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This bronzed copper Indian Peace Medal depicts Martin Van Buren, the eighth President, and is cataloged as Julian IP-17. Van Buren served from 1837 to 1841 and inherited Jackson's Indian removal policies, overseeing some of the most devastating forced marches in American history. The Cherokee removal of 1838-1839, in which approximately 4,000 Cherokee people perished on the Trail of Tears, occurred under Van Buren's presidency despite the Supreme Court's earlier ruling in Worcester v. Georgia that had upheld Cherokee sovereignty. Peace medals bearing Van Buren's likeness were distributed even as his administration enforced the removal of the remaining southeastern tribes. The medals continued to serve their traditional diplomatic function in encounters with western tribes who had not yet been subject to removal pressures, maintaining the fiction of peaceful coexistence that the medal series symbolized. The Julian IP-17 variety in bronzed copper represents a specific die combination within the Van Buren medal program. The obverse portrait depicts Van Buren in the formal civilian style typical of the era, without military ornamentation. The reverse continues the standard clasped-hands peace design that had been used since the earliest presidential peace medals, providing visual continuity across administrations despite the dramatic shifts in actual policy toward Native American nations.

Rarity Notes

Bronzed copper striking of Julian IP-17 dies. Van Buren peace medals coincide with the Cherokee Trail of Tears and final phase of southeastern Indian removal.

Cross References

Julian IP-17; PCGS #534567