1937 United States Assay Commission Medal. Bronze. 58 mm. By John Reich and John R. Sinnock. JK AC-82a. Rarity-6. MS-66 (NGC).Splendid golden-bronze surfaces exhibit a soft sandblast finish that is virtually undisturbed. Fully impressed with tremendous eye appeal. The 1937 is one of the most popular, yet also rarest issues in the Assay Commission medal series. The depiction of Thomas Jefferson on the obverse probably has to do with his status as one of the founders of the modern Democratic Party, its then-current leader Franklin Delano Roosevelt being inaugurated for his second term as president on January 20, 1937. The reverse exhibits what students of this series believe to be the best representation of a press on an Assay Commission medal. Despite its extensive nature and the fact that it was assembled after years of diligent searching for individual pieces, the Ernest E. Keusch Collection of United States Assay Medals (Stacks, November 2008) did not include an example of this date. Clearly the present offering is a rare and important one that deserves serious consideration among specialists.
