As soon as I read the segment on the "unique" 1874 Canadian Indian Peace medal that Jeff Hoare auctions sold for $40,000 last year and is being exhibited currently by the buyer as "unique", I went to my May 2007 Stack's John J. Ford sale catalogue part XVIII, an auction which I attended. I had known this medal attribution was grossly inaccurate.

Ford 2007 sale Lot 19 is a superb Proof silver 1873 Treaty Three medal w/suspension at $5500 hammer, lot 20 an Ex Fine silver 1874 Treaty Four medal with suspension at $6,000 hammer , lots 21 -22 two silver 1875 Treaty Five medals with suspension choice Proof and Abt Unc at $6000 and $3000 hammer, lot 23 a choice Proof 1876 Treaty Six silver medal with suspension at $6000 hammer, lots 24-25 two silver Proof and Abt Unc Treaty Seven with suspension medals at $6500 and $8500 hammer and then finally lots 26 thru 28 a series of three silver Proof silver Undated and unnumbered 187...medals with suspension at $2200,$ 2200 and $1600 hammer. These followed by a series of six bronzed copper Canadian Victoria IPM's of the same design and size as the silvers, three dated 1874.

Note: all of the above silvers and bronzes are the exact same design obverse and reverse except for the final digit 3 to 7 stamped in the date.

So the silver $40K 1874 Hoare medal is not even close to being unique and the increase in price from 2007 $5500 -$6K price range to the 2014 $40K level is astonishing. Indeed, in general the Ford Indian Peace Medal prices realized (both sales 2006 & 2007) were a high point in the market.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
1874 TREATY 4 MEDAL ON DISPLAY (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n17a26.html)