1693 Genuine French Indian Peace Medal Earliest Type Known NGC AU 55 Bronze, About Uncirculated 55. 

This is a very rare medal with only 4 known examples. As of this writing, at the “Verify NGC Certification” web site, it says the total number of this type medal graded by NGC in AU 55 BN is one, and in higher grades, zero. Top Pop.

This special medal comes from the collection of Dr. Rita Laws who wrote a book about Indian Peace Medals and before that, from the cabinet of Lucien LaRiviere. It has no provenance tying it to a specific Indian chief or tribe but it is a genuine 1693 medal of the type known to have been used as Indian Peace Medals in North America. 

It is about 30mm in diameter. Some researchers call this “French Royal Family medal” the earliest type IPM known. The French king was first, beating out the English and the Spanish monarchs and the American presidents who would be distributing peace and friendship medals later. 

This lot includes the medal (certified and graded by NGC) and a letter from the Bowers & Merena auction house with more information about the medal. It also includes photocopies (not shown) of the Prices Realized sheets from the auction and a photocopy of the auction page that shows this very medal, from the Lucien La Riviere Auction Catalog (Part II) hosted by the Bowers and Merena Galleries. 

This same medal was also photographed and described in a book about Indian Peace Medals by Dr. Laws but a copy of that book is not included. The book is available from this eBay store or from a variety of online booksellers.

Below is an excerpt from the auction catalog, excerpts from a letter sent by the auction house to Dr. Laws (the letter also included in this lot) and, finally, excerpts from a book that described and photographed this medal.  

“Auction Catalog: Lot #2003 Page 162: 1693 Royal Family medal Breton-5 As Betts-75 Copper, Choice Extremely Fine. Plain edge. …purchased from Saul Hendler on April 20, 1975.”

 

From a letter sent by Bowers and Merena Galleries who auctioned the cabinet of LaRiviere regarding this lot #2003: “The medal identified as Betts-75 is referred to in Betts as the French Indian Peace Medal….is a rare copper variant of Betts-75…it is appropriately offered under the heading Indian Peace Medals because it is closely associated with types that were known to have been presented to Native Americans up to roughly 1730.”

These excerpts are from the book, “Indian Peace Medals and Related items, Collecting Symbols of Peace and Friendship," (2005) by Rita Laws, Ph.D. and are used by permission. 

(Photo Caption). “Two Similar Old World Medals, But Only One Indian Peace Medal.  

Only one of these old European medals is a New World Indian Peace Medal. The one on the right is a 1675 Louis XIV jeton (originally tokens used with abacus-like machines for counting.)  The 1693 Louis XIV French “Family Tree” Type 1 Indian Peace Medal on the left was a popular design with tribes because it enabled the chief to see not only the king’s visage, but also that of his family. This made the medal more personal. Even though both medals are French, authentic, struck from original dies, similar in size and composition, and feature the same monarch, the jeton is valued... (in the hundreds). The… copper French Indian Peace Medal… (is valued in the thousands). King Louis XIV reigned longer than any leader in European history, from 1643 to 1715.

The first record of an Indian Peace Medal being presented dates back to the 1690’s when French fur trappers were giving European medals to Indian leaders. Medals presented for political reasons from the late 1600’s through the 1700’s featured mostly European monarchs. In the last decade of the 1700’s, US Presidential peace medals began to appear. The custom spread quickly, and far. While this book deals mainly with the history of US Indian Peace Medals, it should be noted that Canada, Mexico, several North American island groups, Chile, other South American countries and a few African nations also share this medallic history with the US.

In addition to the European government representatives, there were two groups presenting the early medals: fur traders and trappers, and the settlers called Quakers…

The giving of royal medals was a logical continuation of European custom as medals had been presented in Europe for years in greeting and during treaty signings. There were many different types of European medals that were favored by Indian chiefs...

Another example of early Indian Peace Medals, the Family Tree type, has many “descendants” today. A family tree design features cameos of several different people related by blood or common interest…..” 

End of excerpts.

About the NGC Label:

 

The NGC label says that this medal or coin is from the Rita Laws Collection. Dr. Laws has been a numismatic writer/researcher for over 20 years, was a member of the Citizen’s Coinage Advisory Committee, CCAC (2003-2008), a world coin columnist for Coin World, has written for all of the major American numismatic publications, and has authored several books and booklets about coins and medals including “Indian Peace Medals and Related Items, Collecting the Symbols of Peace and Friendship,” 2003 First Edition, 2005 Second Edition, ISBN number 0-9770359-0-5, (LCCN): 20040962082, and “Collecting Lucky Coins, Tokens, and Medals,” part of the Instant Expert Series, 2006, House of Collectibles, Random House, NY, ISBN-10: 0-375-72096-0. 

 

This medal lot will be shipped via Priority insured or registered USPS mail and will definitely require a signature upon delivery. The shipping cost is an accurate reflection of what the mailing label will cost.

  

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