1874 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-13, Silver, Archimedes

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,560 SP64 08-22-2018 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1874 Assay Commission medal JK-AC-13 in silver is a presentation striking of the Archimedes design from the first year of Director Linderman's tenure. Silver presentation medals continued to be produced under the new administration, maintaining the practice established during the Pollock years of reserving precious-metal strikings for senior officials and distinguished guests. The silver JK-AC-13 marks the transition between two distinct eras in Assay Commission medal management. Director Linderman, a practical man with deep expertise in mining and assaying, viewed the commission medals as functional recognition pieces rather than primarily artistic statements. This subtle shift in institutional philosophy would gradually influence the character of the series over the coming years, though in 1874 the artistic continuity provided by Chief Engraver William Barber ensured that the medals maintained their established quality. The Archimedes figure on this silver striking captures the essence of the scientist's method — careful observation, precise measurement, and rigorous analysis — that Director Linderman sought to embody in the Mint's operations. The harmony between the medal's classical subject and the new Director's scientific temperament was coincidental, but it gave the 1874 issue a thematic coherence that strengthened the series' cultural resonance.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-13 (1874) in silver (AR). "Archimedes" design. Silver strikings from the Linderman era are scarce presentation pieces.

Cross References

PCGS #512402; JK-AC-13; 1874 Assay Commission