Undated Tupac Amaru Revolt Medal. Uniface Restrike. Bronze. 38.5 mm. Mint State.,Obv: Laureate bust of King Charles III, atypically facing left, his hair tied at the back with a ribbon. A heavy floral band around the periphery encloses the legend CARLOS III REY DE ESP. EMP. DE LAS INDIAS. Unsigned. As issued in 1783, the reverse of this piece would have read EN / PREMIO DE LA / FIDELIDAD within a closed wreath. It is believed that this medal, in its original form, was presented to Native Americans loyal to the Spanish Crown during the Tupac Amaru Revolt of 1780-1782 in Peru. These medals are very rare, with only two pieces presently documented. The Tupac Amaru medal is a rare component of a larger series of medals issued throughout the Spanish held territories of the New World that were presented to Native Peoples who fought alongside, or were in support of the Spanish colonial forces.<p>The die used to strike this piece shows considerable rusting and pitting, none of which was present when the original Tupac Amaru medals were struck. Years -- or more probably decades -- of improper storage in a moist environment had allowed the surfaces of the die to degrade to the condition they were in at the time this example was struck. Interestingly, in January of this year we sold a silver medal ($3,300) utilizing this same die, in exactly the same die state, that was muled with the reverse of an unrelated but similarly sized circa 1810 Peruvian medal that shows no evidence of die rust. That would dictate that that piece could not have been struck before 1810 or so, despite the obverse die having been cut more than 25 years earlier. Further, since the state of die deterioration of that example is exactly as is found on the item we are offering today, we have to conclude that this piece is also a restrike -- albeit a very rare and desirable one -- from a later period.<p>The only known use of this die is on the very rare Tupac Amaru medals and on the unique silver muling described above. This third variant of the Tupac Amaru Revolt medal will intrigue collectors of Peruvian and Spanish Colonial coins and medals, as well as collectors of Indian Peace medals. Spirited bidding is expected.