Assay Commission Medals

About This Coin

Assay Commission Medals were produced annually by the United States Mint to commemorate the proceedings of the Annual Assay Commission, a body established by the Coinage Act of 1792 to test and verify the weight and fineness of coins produced during the preceding year. Estimated values range from $900 to $4,600 depending on the specific year, grade, and strike type, with a notable auction result of $29,000 in SP65 grade at Stack's Bowers demonstrating the premium commanded by the rarest and highest-quality examples. Each year's Assay Commission Medal features a unique design, typically incorporating the date of the commission meeting, portraits of notable figures in American monetary history, images of mint facilities, or allegorical designs related to coinage and commerce. The annual design changes create a natural collecting challenge, as assembling a complete run requires patience and persistence across decades of issues. The Assay Commission itself met annually from 1792 through 1977, when the requirement was effectively eliminated, and medals were produced for commission members, invited guests, and — in later years — for numismatic sale. The tradition of Assay Commission Medals provides a continuous thread through American monetary history, with each year's medal reflecting the artistic sensibilities, political priorities, and institutional concerns of its particular moment. Collectors value these medals both individually as examples of medallic art and collectively as a chronological narrative of the U.S. Mint's institutional evolution.