1944 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-89, Bronze, David Rittenhouse

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,840 MS65 03-25-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1944 Assay Commission medal in bronze, cataloged as JK-AC-89, features David Rittenhouse, the first Director of the United States Mint. Rittenhouse (1732-1796) was a self-taught astronomer, clockmaker, and mathematician who served as Mint Director from 1792 to 1795, overseeing the establishment of the nation's coinage operations at the First Philadelphia Mint. His appearance on the 1944 Assay Commission medal honored the institutional founder of the very organization producing the medal. The commission's 1944 proceedings examined coinage from a year when the Mint had returned to copper cents after the unpopular 1943 steel cent experiment, using recycled shell casings that gave the 1944-1946 cents their distinctive brassy appearance. Rittenhouse's legacy as the father of the American Mint made him a fitting subject during the wartime period, when the institution he founded was operating under unprecedented demands for coinage production.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-89, bronze composition. Features David Rittenhouse, first U.S. Mint Director. Standard commission distribution. Produced during WWII when shell-casing copper was used for cents.

Cross References

PCGS #972663; JK-AC-89; David Rittenhouse; First Mint Director 1792-1795; 1944 Assay Commission