(1643-44) Medal Cecil Calvert, Maryland Map, Betts-35, Eimer-121, XF45 PCGS....

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(1643-44) Betts-35 Cecil Calvert Medal, XF45
Maryland Map Medal
The First Indian Peace Medal
Unique in Private Hands

(1643-44) Medal Cecil Calvert, Maryland Map, Betts-35, Eimer-121, XF45 PCGS. Silver, Cast and Chased. Oval, 35.2 x 32.4 mm, 240.1 grains. In The Early Betts Medal Companion, Medals of America's Discovery and Colonization (1492-1737), Christopher R. McDowell writes (page 70): "This is one of the most spectacular medals in the Betts' series. It is more than a simple medal; it is a significant piece of American history that transcends numismatics." New York's American Numismatic Society published McDowell's highly recommended reference in 2022.

The legend + CAECILIVS : BALTEMOREVS. + + (Cecil Baltimore) accompanies an armored bust of Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore facing left on the obverse. A nearly illegible "S" signature of the engraver is below the bust. The reverse shows a map of Maryland with TERRAMARIAE (Land of Mary) and the legend VT : SOL : LVCEBIS : AMERICAE + (As the Sun thou shalt enlighten America). The reverse also displays the engraver's "S" signature at the end of the sun's ray at 4:30. A shield bearing the Calvert family Arms crowned with an earl's coronet appears between the Chesapeake and Potomac, just above the site of the colonial capital, Saint Mary's. On the left, over Virginia, is a blazing sun shining upon Maryland. A tiny inscription that may be VIRGINIAE appears above the sun on the right.

These medals are identified as the work of Thomas Simon, whose initial S appears on both sides of the known examples. In volume 5 of his Biographical Dictionary of Medallists, Leonard Forrer suggests that Simon was born about 1623, that he began his association with the Royal Mint in 1645, working as the chief engraver from 1649 to 1660. In his February 2011 MCA Advisory article, Tony Lopez notes earlier references to the production of this medal in the year 1632 and writes: "If Simon's date of birth as given by Forrer is correct ... then one must either believe that Simon executed them at the age of nine or that a later dating is appropriate." Perhaps Forrer was incorrect, and Simon was born earlier. Ancestry.com provides an April 26, 1618, baptismal date for Thomas Simon, the son of Pierre and Anne Simon, taken from "England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975."

Tony Lopez published an earlier article delving into the history of these medals. "The First Indian Peace Medal" appeared in the May 2009 issue of the MCA Advisory. Both of his articles are available on the Newman Numismatic Portal and are highly recommended. Lopez wrote:

"To consider this incredible medal as simply an historic medal, or even an Indian Peace Medal - and it was the first Indian Peace medal created specifically for use with the Indians - is to underestimate the importance and significance of what this magnificent item actually is - something more than a medal. In one way of thinking, this medal is an amulet - a talisman - passed through time; carrying with it promises of friendship and peace, as well as a history of betrayal and murder. The legacy of this medal and its broken trust would be repeated throughout the history with the native peoples for centuries to follow."

We are aware of just three surviving examples of this, the first Indian Peace medal, and the other two are held in museum collections. An example is held at the British Museum, and another is found in the Maryland Center for History and Culture (formerly the Maryland Historical Society). Images of both medals are available in their respective online galleries. This medal, the only one in private hands, is also the only example that retains its reattached oval loop. Evidence of production through the process of casting and chasing is present on this impressive example. The late Dick Johnson, in his Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Terminology that is available on the Newman Numismatic Portal, explained the technique:

"Molded pieces which are subsequently hand worked to sharpen molded relief and infrequently to add engraved lines. ... Casting and chasing is particularly useful for creating large medallions - and was the method employed by the first medalists of the Renaissance, by Pisanello and others who followed him."

The historical importance of this medal, the first Indian Peace medal, ranks it as one of the greatest medals in colonial American numismatics. In 2007, before its importance was understood, Whitman published the book, 100 Greatest American Medals and Tokens by Katherine Jaeger and Q. David Bowers. In our opinion, the present medal would rank near the top of that list if a revision was published today.
Ex: Glendining (7/1958), lot 239; B.A. Seaby (privately, 9/3/1958); John J. Ford, Jr. Collection (Stack's, 1/2006), lot 688; Stack's (9/2009), lot 6106; John W. Adams Collection/FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2013), lot 3587.
From The Costa Family Collection, Part I.

Coin Index Numbers: (PCGS# 613695)

View all of [The Costa Family Collection, Part I ]

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