1935 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-80, Bronze, Franklin D. Roosevelt

Coin Details

Auction Record

$720 MS63 04-28-2019 Heritage Auctions

Description

The 1935 Assay Commission medal in bronze, cataloged as JK-AC-80, features President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the obverse. Roosevelt's appearance on the Assay Commission medal placed his portrait on an official Mint product a full decade before it would appear on the Roosevelt dime in 1946. By 1935, Roosevelt had established himself as the dominant political figure of the era — his New Deal programs, including the Works Progress Administration, Social Security Act, and National Labor Relations Act, were reshaping American society. The Assay Commission proceedings examined coinage from a year of increasing Mint production as the economy began its slow recovery from the Depression's depths. The 1935 date also saw a proliferation of commemorative half dollars that became a hallmark of the New Deal era, including the Boone, Connecticut, and Hudson issues. Roosevelt's distinctive profile — the confident chin, pince-nez, and cigarette holder — would become one of the most recognizable images in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-80, bronze (AE) composition. First FDR Assay Commission medal. Standard commission distribution. FDR's portrait would later appear on the dime beginning in 1946.

Cross References

PCGS #517771; JK-AC-80; Franklin D. Roosevelt; 1935 Assay Commission