1943 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-88, Bronze, Abraham Lincoln

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,040 MS63 06-23-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1943 Assay Commission medal in bronze, cataloged as JK-AC-88, features Abraham Lincoln on the obverse. Lincoln's portrait was a natural choice during the wartime period, when the nation drew parallels between the Civil War president's leadership during the republic's earlier existential crisis and Roosevelt's wartime stewardship. The 1943 commission examined some of the most unusual coinage in American history — the zinc-coated steel cent, introduced as a wartime measure to conserve copper for military use, was one of the most dramatic composition changes ever made to a U.S. coin. The commission also examined the silver "wartime" nickels bearing the large mintmark above Monticello that made them easily identifiable for later recall. Lincoln's placement on the medal during this period reinforced the theme of national unity and sacrifice that defined the home front during the middle years of the war. The bronze composition marks standard commission distribution.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-88, bronze composition. Features Abraham Lincoln during WWII. Standard commission distribution. The 1943 steel cent was among the coins examined at these proceedings.

Cross References

PCGS #972660; JK-AC-88; Abraham Lincoln; 1943 Assay Commission