1906 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-50, Silver, Theodore Roosevelt

Coin Details

Auction Record

$960 SP62 08-23-2024 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1906 Assay Commission medal in silver, cataloged as JK-AC-50, continues the Theodore Roosevelt portrait series in its fourth consecutive year. The 1906 medal was produced during a pivotal year in American numismatic history — Roosevelt had already begun his campaign to transform the aesthetic quality of American coinage, writing to sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens in November 1905 about his vision for coins of classical beauty. The Assay Commission medal itself, produced at the Philadelphia Mint under Chief Engraver Charles Barber, represented the very institutional conservatism that Roosevelt sought to overcome. The silver composition places this among the scarce presentation pieces reserved for senior officials and distinguished commission members. Roosevelt's sustained presence on the Assay Commission medals created an unprecedented run that would not be equaled by any subsequent president, reflecting both his personal popularity and the convention of honoring the sitting chief executive on the annual medal.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-50, silver (AR) composition. Very limited production. Fourth consecutive Roosevelt portrait in silver. The 1906 date places this medal at the dawn of Roosevelt's numismatic revolution.

Cross References

PCGS #518072; JK-AC-50; Theodore Roosevelt; 1906 Assay Commission