1868 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-4, Silver, End of the Civil War

Coin Details

Description

The 1868 Assay Commission medal JK-AC-4 in silver is a precious-metal striking of the "End of the Civil War" themed medal. Silver versions of Assay Commission medals were consistently produced in very small numbers throughout the series, reserved for presentation to senior Treasury officials, the commission chairman, and other distinguished participants. The silver composition lent additional gravitas to a medal whose theme — the conclusion of the nation's bloodiest conflict — already carried profound symbolic weight. The Civil War had fundamentally transformed American monetary policy. The greenback era, the National Banking Act, the proliferation of fractional currency, and the introduction of base-metal coinage had all occurred during the conflict years. The Assay Commission's post-war role was thus expanded: not only were traditional gold and silver coins subject to annual testing, but the new compositions required attention to alloy standards that had no antebellum precedent. This silver JK-AC-4 captures a moment of institutional renewal at the Philadelphia Mint. The facility was emerging from wartime production pressures and beginning to contemplate the ambitious coinage reforms that would culminate in the Coinage Act of 1873. The End of the Civil War theme on this Assay Commission medal thus represents not merely a backward glance at the conflict's conclusion but also an implicit forward look at the peacetime monetary system the commission would oversee.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-4 (1868) in silver. Silver strikings of Assay Commission medals were produced in very limited numbers for presentation purposes. Considerably scarcer than the bronze version.

Cross References

PCGS #972460; JK-AC-4; 1868 Assay Commission