US Mint Gold Coins: The Popular First Spouse Gold Coins

The February 2011 US Mint Gold Coins sales report shows a considerable rise in the sale of the First Spouse Gold Coins. This sale is also the biggest weekly sale in the first two months of this year as reported by Coin Update News.

Towards the middle of the current reporting period (2010-2011), the US mint raised the prices to buy gold coins for most of the numismatic gold coins, on the lines of increased gold prices. Some collectors placed bulk orders in the previous period in order to take advantage of the lower gold prices. The US mint sold more than 750 First Spouse Gold Coins as compared to 380 in the previous reporting period.

US Mint Gold Coins Sale: First Spouse Gold Coins

The most interesting feature of this sales report is the startling sale of the proof version of James Buchanan’s Liberty First Spouse Gold Coin. Although the demand for this First Spouse Coin was very high, the government actually authorized the mint to strike fewer coins than demand forecasts. This resulted in the inability to meet the demand for the entire sales cycle. “If the US Mint underestimated the number of coins to produce for this issue, it may also be possible for other issues,” says Michael Zielinski, editor of Coin Update.

First Spouse Gold Coins Specifications

The US mint has been famous for its success with the coin programs that honor America’s first spouses through half ounce gold coins. The coins are released in the order in which the presidential spouses have served the term. The obverse of these First Spouse coins features the similitude of each spouse along with related information, such as name, date of term served and the year in which the coin was released. Additionally, just like famous liberty coins, the phrases ‘LIBERTY’ and ‘IN GOD WE TRUST’ are also etched in capital letters.

The reverse of these coins features a visual rendering of events that were crucial to that period and history of the spouse. The common inscriptions "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and "E PLURIBUS UNUM" are also displayed on this side, along with the denomination and gold content specification.

There were occasions when presidents served their term in office without being accompanied by their spouse. Among such presidents are Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, Elizabeth Monroe, Louisa Adams, Anna Harrison, Sarah Polk, Margaret Taylor, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. In such cases, gold coins are issued featuring the image of Lady Liberty on their obverse. This image is simply a representation of the design depicted on the coins that were in circulation during the period in which the president served his term.

These popular First Spouse Gold Coins are released at different times throughout a calendar year. They are normally issued one at a time. The official release of these coins is preceded by an official announcement by the US Mint. The announcement is generally made a number of weeks prior to the actual sales event for these coins.

According to the US Mint regulations, only four such coins are scheduled to be released each year. The process will continue through 2016, ending with the spouse of President Nixon. There may be some years in which five coins are planned to be issued, as some of the presidents had more than one wife during their term in office. To the delight of a few, the US Mint produces First Spouse Coins in bronze as well, giving people another affordable option for their collection.

First Spouse Gold Coins are strictly limited, as they are available from the Mint for one particular year only. As the demand for these beautiful coins soars, many brokerage firms are giving serious collectors an opportunity to acquire them.