 Pierre Chouteau, Jr.'s George Washington Indian Peace Medal, 1843. Obverse signed B. MEAD, D.S. Pewter. Prucha 62, Belden 66. 87.6mm. Rims 3.6 - 3.9mm. thick. 2,133.0 gns. Very Fine or slightly better. Pale gray in color on both sides. Holed into the top edge for attachment of a copper suspension (now missing).
Very rare: there are probably fewer than 25 of these in all collections. There is one in the Crane Collection (Denver), found in a grave near Missoula, Montana in 1939. The ANS has two and there is one in the University of North Dakota's collection but the Glenbow Museum and the Schermer Collection (National Portrait Gallery) each lack a specimen. There was no Chouteau medal in the Garrett, Dreyfuss, Hunter, Wilson, or Senter sales. The St. Louis Historical Society is said to have the Chouteau medal dies. This example is among the finest seen by the cataloguer.
Unforgivingly described by Mr. Ford in his inimitable style as ''Sharpness of VF-35 with traces of lustre, but badly handled: obvious obverse edge gouge above OF, rims shaved or narrowed upon both sides at about 1 o'clock, other edge, rim, border damage, principally upon reverse, serious diagonal cuts or scratches at 1-2:00 upon obverse obliterating UN, parts of TRY (of COUNTRY), similar but lesser obverse defacement in legend and below at 7 o'clock progressing to R., several light scratches upon both sides. Flan very slightly bent. Clearly not a restrike or remainder.''
The medal is accompanied by an old paper exhibition label from an undated ''Birmingham Missionary Exhibition'' describing the medal as ''Medal given to the chief of Sioux Tribe before he fled to Canada'' and as loaned to the exhibition by a ''Lord Hatherton.'' There were several exhibitions mounted in Birmingham, England by various missionary societies in the 1870's. There were several bands of Sioux that fled to Canada to escape murderous attacks by U.S. armed forces in the 1870's. The title Baron Hatherton was created in 1835 for Edward John Littleton (1791-1863) and was successively held through the 19th c.
Ex Sotheby's (London) sale of July 23, 1969, lot 374.
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