1968 United States Assay Commission Medal. Bronze. 57 mm. By Frank Gasparro and Edgar Z. Steever. JK AC-112a. Rarity-7. Specimen-65 (PCGS). Lovely golden-brown surfaces display a fine grain sandblast finish. This is a sharp and inviting Gem quality example of this scarce Assay Commission medal.The obverse of this issue features a bust of Albert Gallatin, who served as secretary of the Treasury from 1801 to 1814. The spherical troy pound weight depicted on the reverse was made by Bate of London as the standard for this weight. According to Assay Commission legend, it was brought to the United States Mint in 1824, along with three much smaller weights. JK AC-112 is rare, and it is also among the more eagerly sought issues due to the unusually pictorial and historically relevant design on the reverse. This is only the third specimen that we have had the privilege of bringing to auction since 2008. The first was the Keusch specimen that sold as lot 5350 in our (Stacks) November 2008 sale. The second was an example in our Spring 2019 Baltimore Auction (lot 106) embedded in a round lucite desk display holder with its edge inscribed PRESENTED TO SIDNEY W. SMITH 2-14-68. Smith, a noted coin dealer and numismatist (1918-1981), served on the Commission in 1968.The Assay Commission met on February 14, 1968. Among the numismatic personalities in attendance were Daniel H. Brown, Mrs. Virginia P. Culver, C. Edmund Lehr, Louis A. Longo, Julian S. Marks, Curtis B. Mateer, William Pettit, Dr. Charles L. Ruby, Arthur Sipe, Raymond H. Williamson, Mrs. Marion Yeoman, and the aforementioned Sidney W. Smith. From the Richard Jewell Collection. Earlier from our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the David W. Dreyfuss Collection, April 1986, lot 5099; our Baltimore Auction of May 2019, lot 3094.
