1869 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-6, Silver, Seated, Stars

Coin Details

Auction Record

$4,080 UNC Detail 05-29-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1869 Assay Commission medal JK-AC-6 in silver features the "Seated, Stars" design variant, one of two related but distinct obverse compositions produced for the 1869 commission. The presence of stars in the design distinguishes JK-AC-6 from JK-AC-5, which employs a similar seated figure but without the stellar border elements. This kind of design pairing — offering commission members a choice between related compositions — became a recurring feature of the series during its early decades. The seated figure motif on JK-AC-6 draws from the rich tradition of seated Liberty imagery that pervaded American coinage from the late 1830s onward. By 1869, the seated Liberty had appeared on virtually every silver denomination, making it the most recognizable design vocabulary available to Mint engravers. The addition of stars to the field reinforced the connection between the medal's artistic language and the coinage that the Assay Commission was charged with testing. The silver composition of this JK-AC-6 specimen places it among the scarcer variants of the 1869 Assay Commission medal output. The year 1869 was significant in Mint history as the final year of James Barton Longacre's tenure as Chief Engraver — he died on January 1, 1869 — making the 1869 medals among the earliest to reflect the transitional period before William Barber formally assumed the position.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-6 (1869) in silver (AR). "Seated, Stars" variant. Silver strikings are scarce presentation pieces, produced in far smaller numbers than the copper version.

Cross References

PCGS #517121; JK-AC-6; 1869 Assay Commission