US Coins of “First Spouse” Series

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.