MORE ON THAT 1792 INDIAN PEACE MEDAL

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V25 2022 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 25, Number 8, February 20, 2022, Article 19

Sorry for the delay in publishing this note from reader Dave Fegley regarding a medal briefly discussed earlier. I ran out of time to handle it last week. -Editor

Some thoughts on the 1792 dated oval GW medal sold by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries....

At first glance the medal does not necessarily match the script layout of known authentic medals. Nor does the suspension device. It may be possible to identify the punchmark on the attached suspension ring to the maker. The general subject matter is consistent with other GW medals.

From a technical standpoint the medal itself seems to be constructed in the proper four piece manner, being two thin silver/copper alloy sheets that has been silver plated and held together with a separate rim. I will consider at this point the attachment for the chain has been added at a later date over an existing ring or a repair/replacement of a broken suspension ring. The size of the medal is within the realm of known authentic medals.

Artistically speaking the Thomaston medal seems to exhibit a level of esoterica that I would expect on an authentic medal or from an artisan familiar and practiced with such period embellishments.

Alan Weinberg commented on the quality of engraving being above average of what is normally seen for a bogus medal. I remembered reading a dissertation of an unknown 1792 burial medal he had discovered and purchased some time ago. He did a good job describing the associated tells of a burial medal that led to him considering it authentic. It gives hope of new discoveries being possible -
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/ImageDetail/510941

I have to agree it is rather well engraved and it could be argued that it is on par with other known authentic medals. The 1793 Joseph Richardson medal used as an example is certainly among the finest engraved medals known, but there are four different punches known on authentic medals (IL,JL,JW and JR) and many unmarked implying there are at least four different engraving styles or levels of expertise that can be expected, especially in 1792 and early 1793. After the death of Joseph Wright the quality of the engraving improved and can with a high probability be attested to the Richardson shop. These early oval GW medals cannot be disregarded based on level of engraving, but should be evaluated considering construction/ plating techniques and artistic value. If the subject meets what you as an owner or researcher would consider within the realm of an authentic medal the next step would be a focused XRF test to identify certain red flag elements within the sheeting alloy, welds and determination of the silver plating method. If its electroplated its all over right there.

The 1793 is spectacular and worth a long look. Considering a page from a Spider-Man comic recently sold for over $3million this medal is way way undervalued. I will glean all I can from only a couple pictures and attempt to show a few attributes expected to be present. In the case of this particular medal I don't believe a couple pictures are enough to authenticate or dismiss it as bogus.

The pictures I added will lose some clarity and are not taken in the lighting or exact angles necessary to properly view the esoterica. So consider this a study guide. If you have interest and a photo editing program on your computer its easy enough to experiment yourself. I adjusted definition to 100%, increased saturation until light wavelengths begin to separate and adjusted brightness as I thought necessary. Those of you with an eye for the esoteric may be able to discern some of the hidden artwork and portraits. I circled areas of interest in red. Notice in particular the one at the top of the 1793 and the one under the eagle on the Thomaston medal (red arrows) They are very similar. At a minimum notice how some areas are more reflective than others and have a toning to them. This is the top layer of plating which proper testing would reveal a coin silver (90%/10%+ neighborhood}. It is mostly still intact in the center of the 1793 around where it had a better anchor and away from the edges where it has been handled. (Like any other 200+ year old plating it is fragile and should not be handled without gloves. If you look at your fingertips under magnification after handling old plated silver you will see flecks of silver stuck to your fingers. After awhile it starts to add up and there is a visible loss of silver plating in those areas). There is a distinct change in reflectivity away from the center that is not toned and has a brownish patina. This is the bottom layer of plating that proper testing will reveal a very pure layer of silver plating that is over a silver copper alloy sheet. The top layer of coin silver is gone in these areas, but is what would be expected from a 200 year old plated relic of any type.

This method of layered plating allowed for esoteric embellishment at three levels that gave a three dimensional or sometimes an animated result. Properly understood and viewed it is a remarkable and complex paradolic art form that was practiced and developed over (at least) hundreds of years. It is the basis of anti counterfeiting devices built into coin dies, etc. It is possible to match this artwork across mediums to an individual artist. The complexity of these images means they were not one offs, but used over and over by the same artist.

Also take note of the areas circled in yellow. If you zoom in you should be able to make out what appears to be tiny numbers, letters and symbols. Notice that most of the scratches are actually under the plating. This is the method used to prepare the surface for plating while creating the base of the shaded imagery. This is present on both medals, but the plating on the Thomaston medal is in much better condition and harder to determine whether it has been stored better than the 1793 or it is not as old.

Be aware these embellishments require very specific light, magnification and viewing angles to properly view. It's a learning process that may take years to develop and thousands of hours of study to begin to recognize particular artist's traits. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't come to you right away. The couple pictures I included really aren't the greatest or meant to be some type of definitive explanation. I am just pointing out areas of interest for your own study. Relics that are in hand and pictures taken from proper angles etc. yield much better results. The oval GW medals in particular are spectacular works of esoteric art. Acknowledgement and study of this art form has the potential to add extreme value to these and other hand engraved relics.

In my opinion the medal in question has too many positive attributes to dismiss out of hand and should be submitted for a proper metallurgical study. It's not enough to just say this one isn't as pretty as that one which is about all you get out of the usual suspects as far as a technical dissertation or better yet extraordinary provenance (of former collectors). With no real history other than that. I always wonder how it was even possible that a relic as beautiful and at one time as revered as a GW Peace Medal lost the identity of its original recipient and its true history (especially the large and midsize)

Regardless of my opinion or anyone else's, the Thomaston medal sold for around $8000. That certainly is not a bogus price for a bogus medal. The bidders must believe it has a shot at being authentic or appreciate the study of esoterica. These early oval GW medals fall into a class of their own. They are so scarce that the study of previously unknown medals such as this should be approached with the belief that it may be authentic and left to engraving scholars and modern forensics.