page_title: United States Assay Commission
hierarchical_section_title: United States Assay Commission
caption_attribution_description: Old version of the seal of the United States Department of the Treasury, prior to the design being simplified in 1968. According to Treasury records, the original seal was probably designed in 1778 by Francis Hopkinson for the Board of Treasury during the period of the Articles of Confederation, meaning the seal predates the Federal Government and the Department of the Treasury itself. The earliest documented usage of the seal was in 1782. The Treasury seal has been printed on U.S. paper currency since 1862. The Latin inscription is an abbreviation for the phrase Thesauri Americae Septentrionalis Sigillum, which means "The Seal of the Treasury of North America." The arms depicts balancing scales (to represent justice), a key (the emblem of official authority) and a chevron with thirteen stars (to represent the original states). The design of the seal was simplified in 1968; the major elements remained but the Latin inscription was replaced by "Department of the Treasury", and the year of the Department of the Treasury's creation (1789) was added to the bottom. Paper money started using the new design with the 1969 series of bills. For more information, see here, here, and here.
context_page_description: The United States Assay Commission was an agency of the United States government from 1792 to 1980. Its function was to supervise the annual testing of the gold, silver, and base metal coins produced by the United States Mint to ensure that they met specifications. Although some members were designated by statute, for the most part the commission, which was freshly appointed each year, consisted of prominent Americans, including numismatists. Appointment to the Assay Commission was eagerly sought after, in part because commissioners received a commemorative medal. These medals, different each year, are extremely rare, with the exception of the 1977 issue, which was sold to the general public.
  The Mint Act of 1792 authorized the Assay Commission. Beginning in 1797, it met in most years at the Philadelphia Mint. Each year, the President of the United States appointed unpaid members, who would gather in Philadelphia to ensure the weight and fineness of silver and gold coins issued the previous year were to specifications. In 1971, the commission met, but for the first time had no gold or silver to test, with the end of silver coinage.
context_section_description: The United States Assay Commission was an agency of the United States government from 1792 to 1980. Its function was to supervise the annual testing of the gold, silver, and (in its final years) base metal coins produced by the United States Mint to ensure that they met specifications.  Although some members were designated by statute, for the most part the commission, which was freshly appointed each year, consisted of prominent Americans, including numismatists. Appointment to the Assay Commission was eagerly sought after, in part because commissioners received a commemorative medal. These medals, different each year, are extremely rare, with the exception of the 1977 issue, which was sold to the general public.
  The Mint Act of 1792 authorized the Assay Commission.  Beginning in 1797, it met in most years at the Philadelphia Mint. Each year, the President of the United States appointed unpaid members, who would gather in Philadelphia to ensure the weight and fineness of silver and gold coins issued the previous year were to specifications. In 1971, the commission met, but for the first time had no gold or silver to test, with the end of silver coinage. Beginning in 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed no members of the public to the commission, and in 1980, he signed legislation abolishing it.
caption: Formerly part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
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