(1871) Bronzed-Copper Medal J-IP-42, Ulysses S. Grant

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,360 MS65BN 03-31-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

The circa 1871 bronzed copper Indian Peace Medal cataloged as Julian IP-42 bears the portrait of President Ulysses S. Grant, whose administration implemented the Peace Policy that sought to reform the corrupt Indian agency system by assigning reservation management to religious denominations. Despite its name, the Peace Policy era was marked by continued military campaigns including the Red River War and conflicts on the northern Plains that would culminate in the Great Sioux War following Grant's presidency. The obverse features a right-facing bust of Grant with the inscription ULYSSES S. GRANT PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. A.D. 1869, rendered in the bronzed copper finish. The reverse carries the peace medal design. Grant's Indian Peace Medal is notable as one of the last in the traditional series before the design was updated. Grant's two-term presidency saw the distribution of peace medals across the western frontier during a period of rapid reservation establishment. The Peace Policy aimed to concentrate tribes on defined reservations and transition them to agricultural life, with peace medals serving as symbols of this evolving relationship between the federal government and Native American nations.

Rarity Notes

Bronzed copper finish produced in limited quantities. Grant's two-term presidency resulted in broader distribution than single-term predecessors.

Cross References

Julian IP-42; PCGS #534564