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

Coin Details

Auction Record

$552 SP64BN 03-25-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1872 Assay Commission medal JK-AC-11 in copper is the standard-issue version of the Standing Moneta design for the 1872 commission year, with the J. Pollock inscription identifying the Mint Director. Copper served as the primary distribution metal for Assay Commission medals throughout the nineteenth century, providing an attractive and durable medium that could be produced in sufficient quantities for all commission members. The Standing Moneta design on JK-AC-11 continues the theme introduced on JK-AC-8 in 1870, demonstrating William Barber's commitment to establishing visual continuity within the series while varying the design details from year to year. The goddess Moneta stands with the scales and implements of her calling, a classical figure whose relevance to the commission's mission needed no explanation to educated nineteenth-century Americans steeped in classical learning. The 1872 copper JK-AC-11 represents the accessible core of the Assay Commission medal program — the piece that most commission members would have received and preserved. While less glamorous than the silver or aluminum variants, these copper medals form the backbone of any comprehensive Assay Commission collection and often exhibit the best-preserved details, as their lower perceived value paradoxically led many to be carefully stored rather than subjected to the handling and display that sometimes damaged more precious examples.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-11 (1872) in copper. "Standing Moneta, J. Pollock" design. The most commonly encountered composition for this number, though still scarce.

Cross References

PCGS #512275; JK-AC-11; 1872 Assay Commission