1876 Indian Treaty Medal Restrike - 10-Ounce Fine Silver with Antique Finish

This spectacular large-format 1876 fine silver Indian Treaty Medal restrike combines important Canadian history, spectacular ultra-high relief art and exceptional collector rarity.  Original medals of the identical design were presented to Indigenous chiefs who signed Treaty Number 6 with the government of Canada in 1876. While original medals are virtually unobtainable by collectors today, just 200 restrike medals have been issued with a rich antique finish, providing a brief opportunity to add this attractive, important and low-mintage medal to your collection. This restrike is almost identical to the originals except for edge lettering indicating it is 10 ounces of .9999 pure silver.

Between 1760 and 1923, the British Crown presented several different medals to North American Indigenous chiefs as tokens of friendship, to win their allegiance, to reward them for services, and to mark the conclusion of treaties. Perhaps the most important and most artistic of these medals were the numbered treaty medals issued by the Canadian government between 1872 and 1923. These were designed and produced by the leading medallists of the era, J.S. and A.B. Wyon in England.  

The beautiful design features a high-relief image of a Canadian treaty commissioner shaking hands with an Indigenous chief, both in formal dress, with a tomahawk between their feet and the sun and teepees in background. The treaty commissioner is the representative of the queen, and yet the two figures are presented as equals, both standing proudly with similar stature. The Indigenous chief is presented as a figure of strength, with clearly defined muscles and an expression of confidence. The obverse features an exquisitely detailed high-relief effigy of Queen Victoria.

Treaty Number 6 is an agreement between the Canadian monarch and the Plains and Woods Cree, Assiniboine, and other band governments of First Nations at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt. The area agreed upon by the Plains and Woods Cree represents most of the central area of the current provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. One Manitoba band also signed on to the treaty by adhesion in 1898. The treaty signings began in August 1876, with adhesions added later, the last being signed in 1898 in central Saskatchewan in the Montreal Lake area.

According to Michael Anderson, research director of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (an organization that defends the political interests of the 30 groups that signed treaties 4, 5, 6 and 10), "this handshake symbolizes the profound meaning of historic treaties....The essence of the treaty was to create a nation together that will exist in perpetuity, for as long as the sun shines, the grass grows and the waters flow....The core concept is to share the traditional land of the First Nations who have entered into a treaty with the Crown and the Canadian settlers, and also to benefit from the Crown's resources, such as medicine and education."

• Mintage: 200
• Bonus: small-format bronze Indian treaty medal
• GST/HST exempt

Includes:
• 10-oz Silver Indian Treaty Medal Restrike Antique Finish

Warranty Information:
This product comes with a 30-day return policy through TSC.