1952 Assay Commission Medal - JK-AC-97, Bronze, Annual Assay

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,960 MS67 03-25-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1952 Assay Commission medal in bronze, cataloged as JK-AC-97, features the generic Annual Assay theme. The 1952 commission examined coins from a year when the Korean War was driving increased demand for coinage and the Mint was operating at high capacity. The Annual Assay theme, used periodically when the medal committee chose not to feature a specific individual, typically depicted the Philadelphia Mint building, allegorical figures representing commerce or justice, or symbolic representations of the assaying process itself. These institutional designs are interesting as a subset within the Assay Commission series, documenting the self-image of the Mint and the commission over nearly two centuries. The 1952 medal was produced during Chief Engraver Gilroy Roberts' early tenure, a period that would soon see the creation of the Kennedy half dollar design that became one of the most recognized American coins of the twentieth century.

Rarity Notes

JK-AC-97, bronze composition. Annual Assay Commission theme. Standard commission distribution. Early Gilroy Roberts era at the Mint.

Cross References

PCGS #972684; JK-AC-97; Annual Assay; 1952 Assay Commission