The United States of the “First Spouse” series presents on their obverse the wives of the first 39 presidents, indicating the period when they held this honorary post. Since 2007, this series of ten-dollar gold coins weighing 1/2 ounces has been issued four coins per year and finished it in 2016 with the release of three coins. All these coins were issued in parallel with the one-dollar coin series “Presidents of the USA”. They are primarily collectable and attract numismatists of the whole world.
Types of coins of the “First Spouse” series
2007 year of issue
- Martha Washington 1789–1797
- Abigail Adams 1797–1801
- Thomas Jefferson’s Liberty 1801–1809.
- Dolly Madison 1809–1817
2008 year of issue
- Elizabeth Monroe 1817–1825
- Louisa Adams 1825–1829
- Andrew Jackson’s Liberty 1829–1837
- Martin Van Buren’s Liberty 1837–1841
2009 year of issue
- Anna Harrison 1841
- Letitia Tyler 1841–1842
- Julia Tyler 1844–1845
- Sarah Polk, 1845–49
- Margaret Taylor 1849–1850
2010 year of issue
- Abigail Fillmore 1850–1853
- Jane Pierce 1853–1857
- James Buchanan’s Liberty 1857–1861
- Mary Todd Lincoln 1861–1865
2011 year of issue
- Eliza Johnson 1865–1869
- Julia Grant 1869–1877
- Lucy Hayes 1877–1881
- Lucretia Garfield 1881
2012 year of issue
- Alice Paul 1881–1885
- Frances Cleveland First Term 1885-1889
- Caroline Harrison 1889-1893
- Frances Cleveland Second Term 1893-1897
2013 year of issue
- Ida McKinley, 1897–1901
- Edith Roosevelt 1901–1909
- Helen Taft 1909–1913
- Ellen Wilson 1913–1914
- Edith Wilson 1915–1921
2014 year of issue
- Florence Harding 1921–1923
- Grace Coolidge 1923–1929
- Lou Hoover 1929–1933
- Eleanor Roosevelt 1933–1945
2015 year of issue
- Bess Truman 1945–1953
- Mamie Eisenhower 1953–1961
- Jacqueline Kennedy 1961–1963
- Claudia Taylor “Lady Bird” Johnson 1963–1969
2016 year of issue
- Patricia “Pat” Nixon 1969–1974
- Betty Ford 1974–1977
- Nancy Reagan 1981–1989
Design development
- Obverse: In the center of the coin is a portrait of the First Lady of the United States. Her name is engraved above it, and at the very bottom there is the ordinal number and the period of her tenure on this post. To the left of the portrait the inscription “IN GOD WE TRUST” is replaced, and to the right side there is “LIBERTY” and the year of coinage. There are also labels of Mint and engravers.
- Year of issue: The edge of the coin is highlighted by a wide edging, inside which is engraved UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, $ 10 and 1/2 OZ. .9999 FINE GOLD. In the center of the coin is a plot showing the activities of the First Lady.
- Edge: ribbed.
- Edge thickness: 1.88 mm.
- Diameter: 26.49 mm.
- Weight: 15.55 g.
- Metal: 999.9 Au.
Each coin is packed in an airtight plastic capsule, and it is also possible to purchase it in a beautiful gift box made of natural wood.
Circulation of coins of this series
| # | Name of the coin | Date of issue | Circulation (pcs.) |
| 1 | Martha Washington | 19.06.2007 | 19167 |
| 2 | Abigail Adams | 19.06.2007 | 17149 |
| 3 | Thomas Jefferson’s Liberty | 30.08.2007 | 19815 |
| 4 | Dolly Madison | 19.11.2007 | 17943 |
| 5 | Elizabeth Monroe | 28.02.2008 | 7800 |
| 6 | Louisa Adams | 29.05.2008 | 6581 |
| 7 | Andrew Jackson’s Liberty | 28.08.2008 | 7684 |
| 8 | Martin Van Buren’s Liberty | 25.11.2008 | 6807 |
| 9 | Anna Harrison | 5.03.2009 | 6251 |
| 10 | Letitia Tyler | 2.07.2009 | 5296 |
| 11 | Julia Tyler | 6.08.2009 | 4844 |
| 12 | Sarah Polk | 3.09.2009 | 5151 |
| 13 | Margaret Taylor | 3.12.2009 | 4936 |
| 14 | Abigail Fillmore | 18.03.2010 | 6130 |
| 15 | Jane Pierce | 3.06.2010 | 4775 |
| 16 | James Buchanan’s Liberty | 2.09.2010 | 7110 |
| 17 | Mary Todd Lincoln | 2.12.2010 | 6861 |
| 18 | Eliza Johnson | 5.05.2011 | 3887 |
| 19 | Julia Grant | 23.06.2011 | 3943 |
| 20 | Lucy Hayes | 1.09.2011 | 3868 |
| 21 | Lucretia Garfield | 1.12.2011 | 3653 |
| 22 | Alice Paul | 12.10.2012 | 3505 |
| 23 | Frances Cleveland First Term | 15.11.2012 | 3158 |
| 24 | Caroline Harrison | 6.12.2012 | 3046 |
| 25 | Frances Cleveland Second Term | 20.12.2012 | 3104 |
| 26 | Ida McKinley | 14.11.2013 | 1769 |
| 27 | Edith Roosevelt | 21.11.2013 | 2851 |
| 28 | Helen Taft | 2.12.2013 | 2579 |
| 29 | Ellen Wilson | 9.12.2013 | 2551 |
| 30 | Edith Wilson | 16.12.2013 | 2452 |
| 31 | Florence Harding | 10.07.2014 | 2288 |
| 32 | Grace Coolidge | 17.07.2014 | 2196 |
| 33 | Lou Hoover | 14.08.2014 | 2025 |
| 34 | Eleanor Roosevelt | 4.09.2014 | 2389 |
| 35 | Bess Truman | 16.04.2015 | * |
| 36 | Mamie Eisenhower | 7.05.2015 | * |
| 37 | Jacqueline Kennedy | 25.06.2015 | * |
| 38 | Claudia Taylor “Lady Bird” Johnson | 27.08.2015 | * |
| 39 | Patricia “Pat” Nixon | 18.02.2016 | * |
| 40 | Betty Ford | 25.03.2016 | * |
| 41 | Nancy Reagan | 1.07.2016 | * |
What Mint produces the coins?
If you pay attention to the obverse of all coins of this series, near the portrait of the First Lady you can find a stamp in the form of the letter “W”. It means that the coins were minted at the Mint of West Point, which in recent decades has become the main source for minting serial and investment coins of gold and silver. It was founded in June of 1938 and only in the 70s received the official status of the United States Mint, remaining the repository of ingots of precious metals and being subordinate to the Philadelphia Mint.
Cost on the market
Despite the fact that the coins of this series is only 10 $ USD denomination, their real price is hundreds times higher. The cost of 1 troy weight of gold on the world market and a small circulation are primarily affect the cost of each sample.
| # | Name of the coin | Year of issue | Price ($ USD) |
| 1 | Martha Washington | 2007 | 429,95 |
| 2 | Abigail Adams | 2007 | 429,95 |
| 3 | Thomas Jefferson’s Liberty | 2007 | 429,95 |
| 4 | Dolly Madison | 2007 | 529,95 |
| 5 | Elizabeth Monroe | 2008 | 619,95 |
| 6 | Louisa Adams | 2008 | 619,95 |
| 7 | Andrew Jackson’s Liberty | 2008 | 619,95 |
| 8 | Martin Van Buren’s Liberty | 2008 | 549,95 |
| 9 | Anna Harrison | 2009 | 629,00 |
| 10 | Helen Taft | 2013 | 770,00 |
| 11 | Ellen Wilson | 2013 | 770,00 |
| 12 | Edith Wilson | 2013 | 770,00 |
| 13 | Florence Harding | 2014 | 770,00 |
| 14 | Grace Coolidge | 2014 | 770,00 |
| 15 | Lou Hoover | 2014 | 770,00 |
| 16 | Eleanor Roosevelt | 2014 | 770,00 |
| 17 | Bess Truman | 2015 | 770,00 |
| 18 | Mamie Eisenhower | 2015 | 770,00 |
| 19 | Jacqueline Kennedy | 2015 | 770,00 |
Interesting Facts
- When the President was unmarried, like Thomas Jefferson, the gold coins with a picture of Liberty depicted on the obverse were issued. The only exception is the coin depicting Alice Paul, who symbolically represents the era of the presidency of Chester A. Arthur, since he was a widower.
- The United States Mint officially issued the coins of the “First Spouse” series on June 19, 2007 at 12:00 pm local time. They provided two versions of the coin for purchase: as a proof for $ 429.95 and as uncirculated for $ 410.95.
- Martha Washington (nee Dandridge) was the wife of George Washington, the first President of the United States of America. Although the position was not formally approved, Martha Washington fully served the First Lady of the United States. During her lifetime she was often called “Lady Washington”.
- Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt was the second wife of President Theodore Roosevelt the First lady of the United States during his presidency from 1901 to 1909. She also was the Second lady of the United States in 1901. Edith Roosevelt was the first among First Ladies who hired a social secretary. Her tenure led to the creation of official staff, and her official dinners and ceremonial processions helped raise the First Lady position in the public eye.
- At the beginning of her service as the First Lady, Nancy Reagan was criticized because of her decision to replace White House porcelain, which was paid for with private donations. She advocated proactive drug prevention methods and launched the “Just Say No” drug campaign, which was considered her main initiative as First Lady.
Comments
No commens yet.