1944 United States Assay Commission Medal. Bronze. 51 mm. By Mint Engraving Staff and John R. Sinnock. JK AC-89a. Rarity-7. Edge Incuse WILLIAM H. KIRKPATRICK. MS-65 (NGC). A handsome, fully original Gem with warm sandy-olive patina on both sides. The strike is sharp and the surfaces are smooth apart from a faint spot in the upper left reverse field.The obverse design of the 1944 Assay Commission medal features a bust of David Rittenhouse, first director of the United States Mint, after William Barbers work for the Julian MT-1 medal. The reverse is an adaptation of the reverse design of John R. Sinnocks 1926 Sesquicentennial of American Independence quarter eagle. An elusive issue, JK AC-89 was missing from our (Stacks) November 2008 sale of the extensive Ernest E. Keusch Collection of United States Assay Medals. This is only the third example that we have handled in recent years, signally an important bidding opportunity for advanced collectors.This example, along with others in this collection, was originally presented to William H. Kirkpatrick. An Internet search failed to turn up a William H. Kirkpatrick associated with any of the Assay Commission meetings from the 1940s, but we did find someone by that name who served as a United States Senior Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania at that time. From the Richard Jewell Collection.