1871 Silver Medal J-CM-16, Emancipation Proclamation

Coin Details

Description

This silver medal, cataloged as J-CM-16, is the precious metal version of the Emancipation Proclamation commemorative dated 1871. The silver composition distinguishes this from the bronze J-CM-16 version (PCGS #518491), indicating a premium striking produced for collectors, dignitaries, or presentation purposes. The 1871 date, eight years after the Proclamation, marks a Reconstruction-era restrike produced when the legacy of emancipation was being actively defended through the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and federal enforcement of civil rights in the former Confederate states. The Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, transformed the Civil War into a war of liberation and set the stage for the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery permanently. Silver medals commemorating this watershed moment are among the most historically significant pieces in the Julian catalog, representing the promise of equality that the nation was still struggling to fulfill during the tumultuous Reconstruction era.

Rarity Notes

J-CM-16, silver composition. Emancipation Proclamation commemorative, 1871 striking. Very limited production. Scarce.

Cross References

PCGS #626617; Julian CM-16; Emancipation Proclamation Medal, Silver; 1871