1872 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-11, Aluminum, Standing Moneta, J. Pollock

Coin Details

Description

The 1872 Assay Commission medal JK-AC-11 in aluminum presents the Standing Moneta design in the lightest and rarest of the standard composition variants. This aluminum striking of the Pollock-era Moneta figure combines the classical grandeur of the design with the technological novelty of a metal that was still produced through laborious chemical processes in the early 1870s. The Standing Moneta on aluminum exhibits the design's full detail with a distinctively bright, white metallic surface that differs markedly from both the warm tones of copper and the softer brilliance of silver. Aluminum's excellent flow characteristics under pressure allow it to capture fine engraving details with clarity, making it a surprisingly effective medium for medallic art despite its relative unfamiliarity to nineteenth-century die sinkers. Director Pollock's name on this JK-AC-11 aluminum striking places it at the intersection of institutional history and materials science. Pollock's second term as Mint Director (1869-1873) coincided with a period of active experimentation at the Philadelphia Mint, when the engraving department explored multiple metals for both coinage patterns and medals. The aluminum Assay Commission medals from this period represent the outer boundary of that experimentation — pieces produced not for any practical purpose but for the sheer joy of seeing how a new material would render familiar designs.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-11 (1872) in aluminum. "Standing Moneta, J. Pollock" design. Aluminum versions are among the rarest compositions for any Assay Commission medal number.

Cross References

PCGS #972467; JK-AC-11; 1872 Assay Commission