John Adams Presidential Peace & Friendship Medal + Original Presentation Collar

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John Adams Presidential Peace & Friendship Medal + Original Presentation Collar:
$1968.00

Houghton USA

Ancient Art, Antiques, & FineCollectibles

JohnAdams Presidential Peace & Friendship Medal

OnOriginal Ornate Presentation Collar

Awardedto American Indian Chiefs & Warriors

PeaceMedal is Dated 1797 A.D.

“If one trulyunderstands the Medicine Pipe then one comprehends the infinite Universe,

for all is reflected in the Pipe.”

Note

I certify that this Peace Medal and its presentation collarwas legally collected inthe 19th century and displayed at a Native American Museum for over 100 years.This is an opportunity to legally own a pieceof Native American History that is estimated to be about 200 years-old.

DETAILS & CONDITON

ThisJohn Adams “Peace & Friendship” Medal fastened on its original presentationcollar is authentic and original. The circular,bronze metal measures about 2.83” (72 mm) in diameter and is composed of two die-struckbronze disks held together by an outer metal band. Bothsides of the medal show authentic signs of old wear on the lettering and edges, as these presentationmedals were passed down from generation to generation by Native Americans.

Theobverse (front) of the medallion has the bust of President John Adams facingright with the date 1797, while the reverse (back) of the medal has claspedhands under crossed pipe and tomahawk inscribed, \"PEACE ANDFRIENDSHIP.\" The left wrist wascovered with the ornamented cuff of a military uniform; the right wrist wasbare, except in the case of Jefferson\'s medal, which covered the wrist with abroad metallic bracelet with the image of an eagle on it.

The attached, ornate, red collar isabout 16” long x 12” wide and retains five of the original, hand-stitched, six goldstars—one star being lost to time. Theedges of the collar are trimmed in gold brocade. A few of the gold brocade are missing, and acouple have started to unwind the fine, gold metal thread they were madefrom. The backing of the collar is madefrom hand-sewn layers of period-correct cloth.The backing is worn, with several old repairs. Please see photos for details and offeraccordingly. The collar still has theoriginal museum tag: “John Adams Presidential Peace Medal Dated 1797.

PROVENANCE: Chronology of Ownership

ThisPeace Medal comes from a 2013 purchase of a large estate of an oldmuseum/collection in Ontonagon, Michigan. The Ontonagon County HistoricalSociety was founded in 1957 to collect and preserve the artifacts of thecounty\'s history and to educate the public about that history. The collection included Native American items,geology items, and related topics. Themuseum building housed collections of mining, logging, farming, marine, andsocial memorabilia, displayed in room settings and cases.

BriefHistory of Peace Medals

Peacemedals were an integral part of our government\'s relations with NativeAmericans in the 18th and 19th centuries. Peace Medals were produced in both silverand bronze for presentation to Native American chiefs and warriors. The medals became treasured symbols of powerfor their owners, who often wore them around their necks on ribbons. To the chiefs and delegates who receivedthem, these medals were prized possessions, badges of power and status thatwere often passed down to sons or even buried with them.

Duringthe administration of George Washington, the US government began a policy ofpresenting silver “Peace Medals” to American Indian leaders at treaty signings.One of the first medals shows an Indian sharing a peace pipe with PresidentWashington, the new “Great Father.” Everysubsequent president from Jefferson to Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893) isrepresented on an Indian peace medal, with the exception of William HenryHarrison, who died less than a month after taking office.

Thesepeace medals were an important part of the federal government’s relationshipswith Native Americans. They were often presented to tribal leaders to securetreaties and cement political loyalties. The medals, with a portrait of thecurrent President on one side, were usually made in silver or bronze in limitedquantities and are now rare and highly collectable.

Lewisand Clark were faithful about writing in their journals about events of eachday, which included the distribution of medals. Unfortunately, they rarelyrecorded the size and type of each medal specifically enough for us to be sureexactly which medals were given out on which days, they state in their journalsthat they gave out all but one large Jefferson medal. On May 11, 1806, Lewis noted: \"Those with the likeness of Mr. Jeffersonhave all been disposed of except one of the largest size which we reserve forsome great Chief on the Yellow Rock River.\"

Awritten proclamation was usually read with the presentation of a PeaceMedal. One such written proclamation isheld as the Smithsonian, in Washington, DC, and reads as follows:

ThomasL. McKenney, head of the Indian Office, to Little Prince, a Creek chief, 1827

US Government Protocol for Presentation ofPeace Medals

Inthe distribution of medals and Flags, the following rules will be observed:

1. They will be given to influentialpersons only.

2. The largest medals will be given tothe principal village chiefs, those of the second size will be given to theprincipal war chiefs, and those of the third size to the less distinguishedchiefs and warriors.

3. They will be presented with properformalities, and with an appropriate speech, so as to produce a properimpression upon the Indians.

4. It is not intended that chiefs shouldbe appointed by any officer of the department, but that they should conferthese badges of authority upon such as are selected or recognized by the tribe,and as are worthy of them, in the manner heretofore practiced.

5. Whenever a foreign medal is worn, itwill be replaced by an American medal, if the Agent should consider the personentitled to a medal.

WilliamClark, Commissioner of India

Depreciation of the Peace Medals

Although highly valued by Native AmericanChief in the early 1800s, these Peace Medals were later devalued by Chiefs afterwhite traders flooded the tribes with hundreds of medallions that were notrepresentative of the power or prestige of the US Presidents. One Native American Chief Smutty Bear,reportedly stated:

“We are called chiefs butwe are only chiefs in name. Our power has departed we no longer have influencewith our tribe. The young men are fools have no ears for they no longer listento us. . . . Our Grand Father gave us medals. We were proud of them. Theycommanded respect and gave us influence with our people, but the traders soonflooded the country with medals giving and selling them to the young men untilthey have quite all become chiefs and great men. They have refused to listen toour advice but do as they please. We have laid aside our medals as they are nolonger of any use to us.”

SmuttyBear, a Yankton Sioux chief, to an Indian agent, 1848

Inmany cases, because the medals were distributed to significant members oftribal parties, the medals became sought after symbols of power and influencewithin Native American tribes. While most of the medals were not distributedwith holes in them, Native Americans would often perforate the medalsthemselves so to be worn around the neck. Indian peace medals are commonly seenin Native American portraiture.

Oncethe medals became sought after by Native Americans during the period ofEuropean colonization of the Americas, many private corporations commissionedtheir own medals, often featuring the president of the corporation on the faceof the medal, which was to be given out by their representative. The practiceof distributing medals to Native American became so commonplace at one pointthat government representatives reported that it was difficult to engage indiplomatic relations without them.

Note:

Each object I sell is professionally researchedand compared with similar objects in the collections of the finest museums in the world. I have been dealing in fine antiquities for almost 50 years and although certainly not an expert in every field, I have been honored to appraise, buy, collect, and enjoy and recently sell some of the finest ancient art in the world. When in doubt, I have worked with dozens of subject matter experts to determine the condition and authenticity of numerous antiquities and antiques. This documentation helps to insure you are buying quality items and helps to protect your investment.

I offer a full Money-Back Guarantee if a recognized authority in antiquities disputes the authenticity of these fine artifacts.

The Buy-it-Now price is at least 75% off what it would be priced at in a fine Gallery!!

Please ask any questions you may have before you offer!

All sales are Final, unless I have seriously misrepresented this item!

Please look at the 4x macro photos carefully as they are part of the description.

Member of the Authentic Artifact Collectors Association (AACA) & the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)

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