An apparently unique assay commission medal in the style originally intended to be issued for the 1891 assay, however, the death of Treasury Secretary William Windom on January 29, 1891, prompted a hasty change in design in order to honor Windom by placing his portrait on the medal instead of the planned image of President Harrison. The obverse of Windoms existing Treasury Secretary medal (Julian MT-25) was quickly reduced from 76 mm and used to produce a new obverse for the 33 mm Assay Commission medal. Muled with Morgans originally intended reverse featuring a bearded workman at a furnace, medals in this new format were produced in silver and copper and presented to commission members just weeks later at the ceremony in February 1891.Apparently a few trial pieces of the original pairing were struck prior to the change, with Julian noting that the medal in its first version was struck in both silver and bronze and mentioning that this original die pairing is "far scarcer than the regular Windom assay medal of 1891". Julian-Keusch rates the medal as rarity 8 (2-3 specimens struck) but also notes that "The only medal located presently is in the Pittman collection". Both sources also note that mint records regarding the 1891 assay commission medals are inaccurate, so all that can be said with certainty is that only one specimen is known to the modern collecting fraternity. While it is possible other copper or silver examples may exist--or may have existed at one time--none of these have surfaced, and it is very unlikely for an additional piece to enter the numismatic marketplace. Additionally, once acquired, it will likely be tightly held, and unlikely to be offered again for quite some time.Absolutely essential to complete an assay commission medal set, this beautiful medal is graded by NGC as MS-64 BN. Produced with an atypical flat and smooth, uniform, deep chocolate finish. Essentially free of contact marks or other distractions, this unique medal is not only exceedingly rare, it is also incredibly well preserved.，，，From David Akers sale of The John Jay Pittman Collection.
