Assay Commission Poll: Results of Our Reader Survey

The U.S. Assay Commission was established in 1791 to count, weigh and assay random samples of our precious-metal coinage. It was "decommissioned" in 1977 as a cost-cutting measure. Collectors Universe recently ran two articles side-by-side debating whether or not the Assay Commission should be revived.

Richard Giedroyc's article "The Assay Commission Has Outlived Its Usefulness" argued that the Commission is no longer needed, since our coins don't contain any precious metals and there are other ways available to assure compliance to quality standards, including US Mint certification to ISO 9000 and 9001 (a set of internationally-accepted measurement standards). (Read the entire essay here.)

Ed Reiter's rebuttal, "Why We Need An Assay Commission", argued that reasons to revive the Commission include tradition, the fact that it costs very little to fund, and that it maintains a link between the Mint and the general public since Commission members are appointed from the ranks of ordinary citizens. (Click here to read Ed's complete article.)

We also invited readers to give us their opinions on the subject. The responses, perhaps not surprisingly, were about evenly divided between the two positions.

Siding with Rich Giedroyc, Jose Mariscal's argument was pragmatic:

"I vote NO. This nation has survived without the Commission for many years. There is no need to revive it now."

Another reader identified only as "Mazie" commented:

"Sounds like another reason for taxes. International standards: what would this cost? Our Mint seems to be doing quite well, in spite of our government and its politics. Why bring in [some] international politics? Perhaps to raise taxes and be politically correct in our coinage and currency on an international scope?"

The longest reply came from David L. Ganz, who agrees with Ed Reiter that the Commission is needed. Because he writes from the perspective of a former Commission member, we quote his answer here in full:

"And so Rich Giedroyc claims that "special interest" groups want the assay commission restored, and that it is an unnecessary waste of tax dollars. He points out "The Mint employed G.R. Technologies to accompany a Mint team to oversee documentation of Mint practices and procedures consistent with ISO-specified performance standards for all areas of the operation. A third party was responsible for verifying the Ottawa facility met all ISO 9001 certification requirements. "

"The Assay Commission through the 1970's, and in the current proposal, will expend less than $25,000 a year. Those who served on the Commission repeatedly heard Mint employees state that the mere fact that there was public accountability encouraged Mint employees to strive for perfection, which nearly every year, they achieved. ISO certification is not inexpensive; public participation in an Assay Commission is less.

"But on to a second point: when was the last time that Giedroyc, or for that matter, any collector, acted as an ambassador to U.S. Mint products, speaking up in their favor at the grass roots level that counts. Why the answer is more than 20 years ago, when there was an Assay Commission. Even a curmudgeon like John Jay Pittman recognized the importance, and to the end of his life was a regular full-retail purchaser from the Mint as what he described as a "courtesy" based on his prior service on the 1947 Assay Commission! Citizen participation in government is infectious; it works on the municipal level, and on the federal (and more rarefied) level is of even greater significance and importance.

"When you own a piece of it, as the Assay Commission did for all prior commissioners, you become its proponent. And given recent mintage levels and sales figures, this roving ambassador force could be just about the most useful "reinvention" of the government to come along in a long time." -- David L. Ganz, Mayor, Borough of Fair Lawn, N.J., and incidentally a member of the 1974 Assay Commission.

We thank all the readers who took the time to reply to our poll. We enjoyed hearing your points of view, and Collectors Universe will run these Point/Counterpoint types of articles on other controversial subjects from time to time. Watch these pages for more debates on the hottest topics in numismatics today.