Founded in 1792 by the United States government, the U.S. Assay Commission was established to supervise the annual testing of gold and silver coinage produced by the U.S. Mint to ensure that the metal content met specifications. Members of the commission, which were composed of prominent private citizens including numismatists, were appointed every year. Beginning in 1860, to thank the members for their service, each commissioner received a medal struck by the U.S. Mint commemorating famous persons, topics and places. It is not clear why this tradition was started. It may have been the result of Director of the Mint, James Ross Snowden's desire to expand the medal department at the Mint. The medals were produced every year from 1860 through 1977 except 1862 -1866 and 1954.