INDIAN PEACE MEDAL? RELIGIOUS MEDAL?

[BuckleBoy]

Hello All,

I dug this item today which is huge for a religious medallion, and there's no loop or hole on it. (Its measurements can be seen below in millimeters (45mm x 38.5mm), but it's over two inches tall!) Before I clean it any further I'd like to try for an ID. I can see what looks like an "R" in the 12:30 o'clock position on the "back" side and I can see what may be "IE" but is for certain an "E" at the 10:00 o'clock position on the "front" side. I've just never seen anything like this, and nothing this size. It's definitely cast brass or bronze and it's a little more thick than a large cent. If this is religious, can someone help ID specifically what it is? PS--the site this was dug in had musketballs, clay pipe stems, a few thin (early) flat buttons, and an almost uncirculated 1839-O Half Dime)





Thanks so much for your help!


-Buck

 

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[Bramblefind]

What a cool find! Look closely at the top edge b/c you may be able to see evidence of a broken attachment. I think it is a religious medal similar to this one. The legend may be different but I think the imagery is comparable, also the size.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IMMACULATE...iq-18th-LGE-39x53mm-BRASS-MEDAL-/401301766598

 

[BuckleBoy]

What a cool find! Look closely at the top edge b/c you may be able to see evidence of a broken attachment. I think it is a religious medal similar to this one. The legend may be different but I think the imagery is comparable, also the size.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IMMACULATE...iq-18th-LGE-39x53mm-BRASS-MEDAL-/401301766598

wow! Thanks so much I’m totally convinced that’s what this is. 18th c was my guess as well. I’m amazed that these are so large! Any larger they could function as a breastplate! So weird!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

My first thought was 'mourning jewelry', but Bramblefind definitely nailed this as a religious piece.

The soils in your part of the country must make restorations a real challenge... if this were my find, I'd consider lightly tumbling it.

Nice find buddy,
Dave

 

[DCMatt]

wow! Thanks so much I’m totally convinced that’s what this is. 18th c was my guess as well. I’m amazed that these are so large! Any larger they could function as a breastplate! So weird!

Wow. The Goddess of Whatsit performs another miracle right before our eyes! Impressive ID.

I agree. Immaculate Conception/Miraculous medal. These were first made with permission from the Catholic Church in 1832.

I'm thinking yours is a pocket prayer token. With the Holy Chalice on the reverse it may have been a First Communion/Confirmation gift. Some young boy likely got a good whooping for losing it.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Wow. The Goddess of Whatsit performs another miracle right before our eyes! Impressive ID.

I agree. Immaculate Conception/Miraculous medal. These were first made with permission from the Catholic Church in 1832.

I'm thinking yours is a pocket prayer token. With the Holy Chalice on the reverse it may have been a First Communion/Confirmation gift. Some young boy likely got a good whooping for losing it.

Good point! It’s entirely appropriate that I dug it on Pentecost Sunday, one day after most churches held First Communion masses. Catholic religious medallions are common finds here. We normally find one every couple hunts due to South Louisiana’s long-standing French and Spanish Catholic culture. But what made this unusual was the age and the size of the piece. I only have one other early/mid 1800s religious relic and it’s a bronze crucifix. Yes, the soil makes restoration challenging. I’m just going to lightly toothpick the dirt and leave it as is. I don’t have enough experience tumbling to attempt it.

 

[BuckleBoy]

PS I’ve ordered the definitive book on religious medallions. I know that most miraculous medallions bear the date of 1832 but I’ve read on several sites that these large style ones are 1700s. So when the book arrives I’ll update the post. Haven’t seen one of this size dug before or posted here so I’m stoked!

 

[Red-Coat]

PS I’ve ordered the definitive book on religious medallions. I know that most miraculous medallions bear the date of 1832 but I’ve read on several sites that these large style ones are 1700s. So when the book arrives I’ll update the post. Haven’t seen one of this size dug before or posted here so I’m stoked!

Just to clarify, the ‘Miraculous Medal’ (aka ‘Medal of Our Lady of Grace’) specifically relates to a series of apparitions/visitations experienced by the French nun Catherine Labouré, commencing on 19th July 1830. That’s why these medals always have an 1830 date (irrespective of when made) and there are none produced before 1832 when her archbishop approved their issue.

These medals invariably have the ‘Marian Cross’ on one side (a plain cross with an M underneath the right-hand bar).

Other religious medals may relate to specific apparitions of the Virgin Mary at other locations on particular dates (and so can’t be earlier than the date of the apparition); or they may just be generic and could be from any time period. The exact wording and/or imagery is the key for possible dating.