1896 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-40, Bronzed-Cu, Grover Cleveland

Coin Details

Description

The 1896 Assay Commission medal JK-AC-40 in bronzed copper features the Cleveland portrait with an enhanced dark patina finish during the year of the famous "Cross of Gold" presidential campaign. The bronzed copper treatment gives this medal a distinguished appearance appropriate to a year that would prove to be a watershed in American monetary history. The 1896 presidential election between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan became a referendum on the gold standard. Bryan's electrifying "Cross of Gold" speech at the Democratic convention placed the silver question at the center of national political debate, while McKinley championed sound money from his front porch in Canton, Ohio. The Assay Commission medal for this pivotal year thus exists within the most intensely monetized political environment in American history. The bronzed copper composition provides an intermediate tier between standard copper and silver, creating a presentation-quality medal with visual refinement. The dark patina accentuates the presidential portrait's three-dimensional qualities, giving Cleveland's image a depth and gravitas that befits the seriousness of the monetary debates swirling around his departing administration.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-40 (1896) in bronzed copper. "Grover Cleveland" portrait from the year of the Bryan-McKinley "Cross of Gold" campaign.

Cross References

PCGS #539313; JK-AC-40; 1896 Assay Commission