1859 Bronze Medal J-MT-3, James Ross Snowden

Coin Details

Description

This 1859 bronze medal Julian MT-3 honors James Ross Snowden (1809-1878), who served as the thirteenth Director of the United States Mint from 1853 to 1861. Snowden's directorship coincided with an extraordinarily dynamic period in American coinage, encompassing the height of the California Gold Rush, the introduction of the small-size cent in 1857, and the beginning of the Civil War. He was also an accomplished numismatist who published influential works on American coinage and medals, including his 1860 catalog of Washington medals that remains a reference work to this day. The obverse features a portrait of Snowden, who was appointed to the directorship by President Franklin Pierce and served through the Buchanan administration into the early months of Lincoln's presidency. Under Snowden's leadership, the Mint discontinued the large copper cent and half cent in 1857, replacing them with the smaller Flying Eagle and later Indian Head cent designs that proved more economical to produce. He also oversaw a controversial but numismatically significant program of restriking rare early American coins and medals, producing pieces that remain sources of both fascination and debate among collectors. The reverse carries the Julian MT-3 designation and commemorative inscriptions. Snowden's restrike program, while criticized by some contemporaries and later numismatists for muddying the provenance of early American rarities, actually preserved dies that might otherwise have been destroyed and created medallic records of historical significance. His scholarly contributions to numismatics, particularly his documentation of Washington-related medals, earned him respect that transcended his administrative role.

Rarity Notes

Bronze medal, Julian MT-3. Snowden served as Mint Director 1853-1861 during the transition to small cents and the Gold Rush era.

Cross References

PCGS #886540; Julian MT-3; James Ross Snowden (1809-1878); 13th Mint Director 1853-1861