1946 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-91, Bronze, Washington 1732-1799

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,500 MS62 06-23-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1946 Assay Commission medal in bronze, cataloged as JK-AC-91, features George Washington with his birth and death years 1732-1799. The 1946 commission was the first to convene after the end of World War II and the death of Franklin Roosevelt, meeting under the new Truman administration. The choice of Washington as the obverse subject reflected a desire for stability and continuity during the postwar transition, invoking the founder most associated with peaceful transfers of power. The commission tested coins from the final year of wartime compositions, including shell-casing copper cents and silver-free nickels. The return to peacetime coinage production was already underway, and the 1946 proceedings represented a bridge between the extraordinary wartime Mint operations and the normalization that would follow. Washington's portrait was a perennial favorite for government medals, appearing on more American numismatic products than any other individual in history.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-91, bronze composition. First postwar Assay Commission medal. Features Washington 1732-1799. Standard commission distribution.

Cross References

PCGS #972666; JK-AC-91; George Washington; 1946 Assay Commission