1872 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-11, Silver, Standing Moneta

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,160 SP63 03-29-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1872 Assay Commission medal JK-AC-11 in silver features the return of the Standing Moneta design, first introduced on JK-AC-8 in 1870. The silver striking of the Moneta figure highlights the classical drapery and balanced composition that Chief Engraver William Barber brought to the series. The Roman goddess of the mint stands in a dignified pose with her traditional attributes, embodying the principles of monetary integrity that the Assay Commission was constituted to uphold. The 1872 commission year fell during a pivotal period in American monetary history. The Coinage Act of 1873, often called the "Crime of '73" by silver advocates, was working its way through Congress and would fundamentally alter the nation's monetary system by demonetizing the standard silver dollar. Director James Pollock, identified on this medal's inscription, was actively engaged in the legislative process that would reshape American coinage. The silver composition of this JK-AC-11 carries particular resonance given the silver controversy that was about to engulf national politics. Within a year, the metal from which this medal was struck would lose its status as unlimited legal tender for all debts, a change that would fuel populist movements for the next quarter century. This presentation piece thus serves as an inadvertent artifact of the last moments before the silver question transformed from a technical coinage matter into a national political crusade.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-11 (1872) in silver (AR). "Standing Moneta, J. Pollock" design. Silver presentation strikings from the final Pollock years are scarce.

Cross References

PCGS #512401; JK-AC-11; 1872 Assay Commission