Stack’s Bowers Galleries is excited to announce the upcoming sale of the Ronald A. Slovick Family Collection of Indian Peace medals, a highlight of their Spring 2024 Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Spring Expo.
Ronald A. Slovick’s interest in this series was sparked in the 1970s by his introduction to a selection of historic lithographs of Native American chiefs produced by McKinney and Hall in the 19th century. Many of these colorful prints documented chiefs proudly wearing their Peace medals, and Mr. Slovick was immediately drawn to them. “I was intrigued by the eminence and stature of these chiefs,” wrote Slovick of his initial interest, and the medals were tangible markers of the interactions between them and the government of the United States. His son also developed an interest in the medals and, as often is the case, father and son collected with shared enthusiasm. Specimens were added to the collection across decades, starting with, according to Slovick, a “modest bronze medal [that] began a lifelong pursuit to attain these relics of our American past.” He not only collected the medals, but also became immersed in their history and developed a fine friendship with Father Francis Paul Prucha, author of a standard reference on the series.
The collection stands as one of the most important ever assembled, with 23 original medals in silver, 19 of which are of the American series from George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant. While not complete as to president and size, this collection must be counted among the most significant Stack’s Bowers Galleries has ever offered due to a singular highlight: a magnificent second size 1795 oval George Washington medal presented at the Treaty of Greenville. This is a type that few collectors get to see in their lives, let alone have the opportunity to include in their collections. It is a superb medal offering outstanding quality as well as a remarkable history! “Across my 26-year career in numismatic auctions, this is the first oval Washington Peace medal I have had the chance to research and catalog,” commented John Pack, Executive Director of Consignments. “It is a career highlight.”
The Slovick Family Collection also includes other very significant medals notable for their rarity and quality. A medium-size Thomas Jefferson medal, an exceptional entry in any collection, is represented by a very attractive example formerly in the David W. Dreyfuss Collection. Other highlights in the American series include large-size examples of James Madison, James Monroe (a great rarity of the series), John Quincy Adams, James K. Polk (arguably the finest in private hands), Andrew Jackson (ex Captain Andrew Zabriskie), and Abraham Lincoln. A fine selection of bronzes rounds out the offering. The British series is represented by several important offerings, including a prized Lion and Wolf medal and a small-size George III medal that is believed unique in private hands.
The Stack’s Bowers Galleries Spring 2024 Expo Auction is scheduled for March 25-28, 2024, in Costa Mesa, California. Lot viewing will be available before the auction in the firm’s California headquarters, New York City gallery, and at the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Spring Expo in Baltimore, Maryland. For more information on the Spring Expo Auction visit StacksBowers.com, call 800-458-4646, or email Info@StacksBowers.com. To consign to a Stack’s Bowers Galleries auction, email Consign@StacksBowers.com.
About Stack’s Bowers Galleries
Stack’s Bowers Galleries conducts live, Internet and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company’s 90-year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The D. Brent Pogue Collection, The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Joel R. Anderson Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection, The Sydney F. Martin Collection and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few. World coin and currency collections include The Pinnacle Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Salton Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, and The Thos. H. Law Collection.
The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, with galleries in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. Offices are also located in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, Hong Kong, Paris and Vancouver. Stack’s Bowers Galleries hosts an annual Global Showcase in August featuring United States coins and currency, Ancient coins and World coins and currency in its Costa Mesa auction gallery. They are also the Official Auctioneer for several important numismatic events, including the New York International Numismatic Convention, the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Spring, Summer and Winter Expos, the Spring and Fall Hong Kong shows, and the Maastricht Paper Money Shows.
