(1837) Silver Medal J-IP-18, Holed Martin Van Buren

Coin Details

Description

This silver Indian Peace Medal with hole bears the portrait of Martin Van Buren and is cataloged as Julian IP-18. The hole drilled through the medal provides compelling evidence that this piece was actually presented to a Native American leader and worn as intended. Peace medals were designed to be displayed prominently on the chest, suspended from a cord, ribbon, or chain, and the presence of a wearing hole transforms a numismatic object into a document of diplomatic history. Holed silver peace medals are among the most historically evocative artifacts of American-Indian relations. Each hole represents a moment when a tribal leader accepted a medal from an American official and incorporated it into his personal regalia, signaling his community's diplomatic engagement with the United States. These medals were often worn for decades, passed to successors, and occasionally buried with their owners, making surviving examples with wearing holes genuine relics of frontier diplomacy. The Van Buren period saw the distribution of peace medals under increasingly strained circumstances, as the government simultaneously offered tokens of friendship and enforced policies of forced removal. A holed silver Van Buren medal was worn by a chief whose nation was facing relocation, making it a poignant symbol of the era's broken promises.

Rarity Notes

Silver striking with hole from actual wearing by a Native American leader — evidence of genuine diplomatic presentation. Holed silver peace medals are rare survivors with inherent historical provenance.

Cross References

Julian IP-18; PCGS #685914