Indian Peace Medal - 1871 Ulysses S. Grant, J-IP-42 AE 63mm NGC MS64

Attractive bronze restrike of Grant Indian Peace Medal from 1871. There are 2 in MS64BN with 1 finer. Below is the story of the creation of the original IPMs of 1871.

Within a week of the inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant, Anthony C. Paquet, the artist who crafted the Andrew Johnson medals, wrote asking the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for the job of making the Grant Indian medals. He proposed to engrave the dies for two sizes of medals, asking for a payment of $3,000. Paquet wrote, "Having made the dies for many medals ordered by the Government, including the medal voted by Congress to General U.S. Grant, and the Indian medals for the late Administration, I have no doubt of my ability to execute the work proposed, to the entire satisfaction of the Department." The artist had his proposal endorsed by Senators Carl Schurz and Alexander G. Cattrell, as well as two other important men.

Portrait of President Ulysses S. Grant by photographer Matthew Brady, 1870-1880. Photo: Wikipedia.

It was on May 25, 1870, that Ely S. Parker, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, asked Paquet to provide samples or designs for "some medallions of President Grant...for distribution to Indians," and to travel to Washington to discuss working on the medals. Paquet met with Parker on May 31 and signed a contract, which specified that he cut dies "for medals for Indian chiefs, to contain on the obverse a Roman bust in profile of the present President of the United States, and on the reverse the full view of the U.S. Capitol." He began working on the dies, aiming for the March 1, 1871, deadline, when he was taken aback by a letter from the Indian Office: "As the President's Cabinet have adopted a new design for the Indian medal, you will please suspend work on the dies for the medals ordered...the reverse will be entirely different."

Money exchanged hands and the contract had to be rewritten to incorporate the new reverse design. Francis Paul Prucha wrote, "The design of the reverse was an elaborate one, with a globe, a Bible, agricultural implements, and the inscription ON EARTH PEACE GOOD WILL TOWARDS MEN. The date 1871 was entered on the reverse. Even the obverse was cluttered, for besides the bust of Grant, there were a peacepipe and branch of olive... The whole was surrounded by a border of olive leaves intersected at the top, bottom, and each side with a United States shield....there was no room for Grant's name. One can imagine Grant and his cabinet, each making his suggestion as to what should be added to the design." There was only one size of this medal produced.