1884 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-27, Bronze, Chester A. Arthur

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,320 MS67BN 03-29-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1884 Assay Commission medal JK-AC-27 in bronze features the second consecutive Chester A. Arthur portrait, reflecting his continued presidency and the Mint's established practice of depicting the sitting President on the annual medal. The 1884 medal was struck during the final year of Arthur's term — he sought the Republican nomination for a full term but lost to James G. Blaine at the June convention. The commission that received these medals tested coins from 1883, a year notable for the introduction of the Liberty Head nickel without the word CENTS on the reverse. The resulting confusion — with unscrupulous individuals gold-plating the nickels to pass them as five-dollar gold pieces — had led to a mid-year redesign adding CENTS to the reverse. The commission's testing of both varieties of the 1883 nickel exemplified the kind of quality-control oversight that the annual assay process was designed to provide. Charles Barber's second rendering of the Arthur portrait on JK-AC-27 shows the subtle evolution in the engraver's approach to a familiar subject. Having established the basic likeness on JK-AC-26, Barber could refine his interpretation, adjusting the portrait's expression, the treatment of Arthur's distinctive whiskers, or the composition of surrounding design elements.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-27 (1884) in bronze (AE). Second "Chester A. Arthur" portrait. Final full year of Arthur's presidency.

Cross References

PCGS #512340; JK-AC-27; 1884 Assay Commission