Buffalo Bill Center authenticates rare early 1800s medals

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, has authenticated a trove of rare medals tied to the American West after testing and analysis this year. The findings include two extremely rare Thomas Jefferson Indian peace medals linked to the Lewis and Clark expedition and broaden the historical significance of the Plains Indian Museum collection.

Why it matters: - The authenticated medals deepen the historical record of Native-U.S. interactions in the American West. - The findings add new significance to the Plains Indian Museum collection and could help trace some medals to original recipients. - One verified medal is among only three of its kind taken on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, making it a major numismatic find.

What happened: - The Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, completed testing and analysis earlier this year on a group of medals from the Plains Indian Museum collection. - The Center says it has now definitively authenticated a trove of rare medals tied to more than 100 years of Western history. - The authenticated items include Indian peace medals, fur trader medals and other medals dating from as early as 1804 and as late as 1913. - Some of the authenticated medals are now on view at the Center.

The details: - The collection includes four Indian peace medals presented to Tribal members during treaty negotiations and other interactions with U.S. representatives. - One large Thomas Jefferson shell medal is one of only three of its kind taken on the Corps of Discovery Expedition. - One small Thomas Jefferson shell medal is one of only 16 of its kind taken on the expedition. - Two other Indian peace medals, one from the Millard Fillmore administration and one from the Franklin Pierce administration, are each among fewer than two dozen known examples. - Two fur trader medals modeled after Indian peace medals are each one of only eight known examples. - Preliminary analysis suggests both Jefferson medals were likely presented to Native recipients during the Corps of Discovery Expedition. - The Center is continuing research to determine additional details about the medals and their provenance. - Among 33 medals examined and tested this summer, researchers also identified other authentic medals, genuine U.S. Mint collector medals, counterfeit pieces and so-called fantasy medals made to deceive recipients. - The examination also identified forged George Washington oval peace medals, a type historically subject to counterfeiting. - Rebecca West, CEO and Executive Director of the Center of the West, said the exact origins and authenticity of some medals were not fully known until this summer. - Dr. Lawrence J. Lee, the independent numismatic specialist hired to evaluate the collection, said the genuine medals are extremely important and “change the numismatic world.” - Lee said each genuine Indian peace medal has a unique historical backstory and strong provenance. - Lee said it may eventually be possible to trace two of the medals to their original recipients. - Beverly Perkins, the Center’s chief conservator, used X-ray fluorescence analysis to compare the medals’ elemental composition and alloys with known benchmarks. - Hunter Old Elk, curator of the Plains Indian Museum, said the Center will continue researching the medals and consult with affiliated Tribes as appropriate.

Between the lines: - The authentication shows how museum collections can hold objects whose importance becomes clearer only after modern testing and deeper research. - The mix of genuine medals, collector pieces and counterfeits also underscores how heavily traded and copied these objects were. - The Lewis and Clark connection gives the collection broader historical weight beyond numismatics. - Experts outside the Center framed the medals as important artifacts of European and Indigenous interaction across North America.

What's next: - The Center will continue research on provenance and historical documentation for the medals. - Further work may identify original recipients for two medals, which would be unusually rare. - The Center plans to keep consulting affiliated Tribes as it studies items in the Plains Indian Museum collection. - Interested readers can find more information through the Center’s social channels, including the Center’s LinkedIn page, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X.

The bottom line: - The Buffalo Bill Center of the West has turned a long-held museum holding into a newly authenticated set of artifacts with rare ties to the Lewis and Clark era and the wider history of Indigenous diplomacy.