1920 United States Assay Commission Medal. Bronze. 51 mm. By George T. Morgan. JK AC-64a. Rarity-5. MS-65 (NGC). The obverse exhibits dominant sandy-gold patina with swirls of flint gray and pale rose scattered about. The reverse has a more uniform appearance in rich golden-bronze. Both sides are boldly defined and overall smooth; the reverse is suggestive of an even higher grade.The 1920 Assay Commission medal features the same obverse as the 1919 medal, but the reverse shows armored Liberty seated with sword reversed, holding an olive branch. With the reverse inscriptions VICTORY and PEACE, the 1920 Assay Commission medal is the series equivalent of the Peace silver dollar of 1921 to 1935, which was also produced in commemoration of the return of peace after the end of World War I. Thirty bronze examples of this medal were produced on February 17, 1920, but the reverse was so popular among contemporary Americans that the Mint struck an additional 40 or 50 pieces later in the year. This is an outstanding example of the issue, finer than the specimen offered as lot 5313 in our (Stacks) November 2008 sale of the Ernest E. Keusch Collection of United States Assay Medals, 1860-1977. From the Richard Jewell Collection. Collector tag with attribution notation included.
