As a highlight of their Spring 2024 Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Spring Expo, Stack's Bowers Galleries is pleased to announce the impending sale of the Ronald A. Slovick Family Collection of Indian Peace medals.
A collection of vintage lithographs of Native American leaders created by McKinney and Hall in the nineteenth century piqued Ronald A. Slovick's interest in this series in the 1970s. A number of these vibrant prints depicted chiefs displaying their Peace medals with pride, and Mr. Slovick was instantly captivated by them.
Slovick described his first fascination with the chiefs as "intrigued by the eminence and stature," and the medals served as physical reminders of the chiefs' dealings with the US government. Like many fathers and sons, he found that his son was interested in the medals as well, and the two of them began collecting together
A "modest bronze medal [that] began a lifelong pursuit to attain these relics of our American past," as described by Slovick, was the first specimen to be added to the collection over the course of several decades. He grew very close with Father Francis Paul Prucha, who wrote a classic reference on the medals, and got engrossed in their history as he acquired them.
With 23 authentic silver medals, 19 of which are from the American series from George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant, the collection is considered one of the most important ever assembled. Although this collection is missing a president and a size, it is undeniably one of the most important offerings from Stack's Bowers Galleries. The pièce de résistance is a stunning second-size oval George Washington medal from 1795, which was presented at the Treaty of Greenville.
Collectors hardly encounter this kind, much less get the chance to add it to their collections. This medal has an incredible history and is of the highest quality. "In my 26 years of working in numismatic auctions, I have never had the opportunity to research and catalog an oval Washington Peace medal like this before," remarked John Pack, Executive Director of Consignments. I am quite proud of it.
Additional high-quality, extremely rare medals from the Slovick family are also part of the collection. Previously owned by the esteemed David W. Dreyfuss, this medium-sized Thomas Jefferson medal is a stunning addition to any collection.
Big James Madisons, rare James Monroes, John Quincy Adamses, James K. Polks, Andrew Jacksons, Abraham Lincolns, and James K. Polk (perhaps the best in private hands) are among the other highlights of the American series. The range is completed by a high-quality assortment of bronzes. A small-size George III medal, said to be unique in private hands, and a highly sought Lion and Wolf medal are two significant items from the British series.
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