Posts Tagged ‘coins’

Abigail Adams Proof

First Spouse Abigail Adams $10 Gold Coin First Lady, 1797–1801

The first 4 coins of the First Spouse Series sold out from the US mint in 3 hours after becoming available.The coin is produced in an uncirculated version and a proof version both versions are on this site. The US. Mint will release a maximum of 20,000 coins of each type and since First Spouse Abigail Adams was sold out in 3hours its safe to say that probably all 20,000 of each type MS and Proof has been released.

Notes about the coin:

Abigail Smith was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, in 1744.  As was customary for the time, Abigail did not receive formal education, but her quick mind and her curiosity for the world around her were nurtured in her family's library, and her desire to read and learn was encouraged.  She married John Adams, a young Harvard-educated attorney in 1764, and lived with him in Braintree, Massachusetts, while he built a successful law practice.

She joined him in Europe from 1784 to 1788 as he served as an American diplomat in France and as the first United States Minister to Great Britain.  The couple returned to Massachusetts in 1788.  After her husband became President, they were the first couple to live in the White House after they arrived in Washington in November 1800.  Abigail returned to Braintree in 1801, now called Quincy, where she lived until her death in 1818.

Reverse Design

Because of John Adams' commitment to the cause of colonial independence, he and Abigail were often separated for lengthy periods of time—she in Massachusetts, and he in Philadelphia.  Letters they wrote to each other during the Revolution and the formation of the United States are a mirror of the intellectual vigor of the times.  He himself acknowledged that she had as much political insight as any of his colleagues, and that he valued her counsel above all others, combined with the affection and loyalty of her friendship.  In one of her most memorable letters, Abigail Adams requested that her husband John "remember the ladies" when creating the framework for the new Republic.

Martha Washington Proof

First Spouse Martha Washington $10 Gold First Lady, 1789–1797

Again this coin was sold out from the mint in 3 hours, this is the first “first spouse coin” coin to come out from the mint.

About the Coin:

Martha Washington First Spouse $10 Gold Coin
First Lady, 1789–1797

Born Martha Dandridge on June 2, 1731, the future First Lady of the United States married Daniel Parke Custis when she was 18 years old, and was a mother of two surviving children when her first husband died in 1757.  She married George Washington two years later, and for much of the next 40 years, Martha Washington fulfilled her role of a military and political wife with ease and grace.

She and husband George retired from public life at the end of his second term as President, and lived out their lives at Mount Vernon, not far from the capital city that would soon bear their name.

Reverse Design

The reverse design of the Martha Washington coin depicts the future First Lady sewing a button onto her husband’s uniform jacket.  During the Revolutionary War, her concern for the colonial soldiers earned her their lasting respect and admiration.  She is known to have organized sick wards and persuaded the society ladies of Morristown to roll bandages from their fine napkins and tablecloths, as well as to repair uniforms and knit shirts for the poorly equipped Continental soldiers.  Her presence in the encampments of the Continental Army was an example to other officer's wives and a significant factor in lifting the morale of her husband's tired, cold and hungry troops.

Martha Washington Uncirculated

The uncirculated version of first spouse Martha Washington the First First Spouse of this great country, I will show under here the prices on coins live right now on E-bay to give people an idea of the price movement of each coin.

Dolley Madison Uncirculated

The uncirculated version of first spouse Dolley Madison our 4th first spouse in the White house, 1809-1817 great looking coin sold out in the first 3hours at the US mint.

Louisa Adams First Spouse MS

First Spouse Louisa Adams in Uncirculated conditions, this coin came out from the US mint in 2008 and are to have a max population of 20,000 coins in uncirculated conditions but sales of the coin will determine the final population numbers. Because of the economical crises in 2008 maybe the coin will not sell very well and a lower population number will be the result.

Louisa Adams Proof

First Spouse Louisa Adams our 6th first lady in the white house here from the US Mint in Proof condition. Very nice coin

Louisa Adams First Spouse $10 Gold Coin
First Lady, 1825–1829

The only first lady to be born outside the U.S., Louisa Catherine Johnson was born in 1775 in London to an American father and British mother.  The family moved to France when she was three, where she completed her education.  She met John Quincy Adams while he was serving in a diplomatic post in London and they married in 1797.  Her first time on American soil came in 1801 when John Quincy was called back from diplomatic service by President Jefferson.  She finally met her in-laws, former president John Adams and the formidable Abigail Adams, at that time.

Louisa Adams was an accomplished musician whose talents included singing, playing the harp and piano, and composing.  A prolific author, she penned both poetry and drama.  She authored a play titled Suspicion, or Persecuted Innocence while she served as first lady, in which she stressed the strengths of women.  She was the first first lady to write her memoirs, entitled Adventures of a Nobody.

Reverse Design

For nearly six years, from 1809–1815, Louisa and John Quincy Adams lived as American diplomats in the Russian capital of St. Petersburg.  In 1814, John Quincy was summoned to The Hague to participate in peace talks to end the War of 1812.  In 1815, she and her 8-year-old son Charles began an arduous journey across much of Europe to join her husband in Paris.  While alone in Russia, Louisa not only managed the family’s affairs, but her courage and linguistic talents helped the two of them find safe passage through unfamiliar and often dangerous lands.

Jackson Liberty First Spouse

The best looking First Spouse 1/2 oz. Gold coin First Spouse Jackson Liberty, great looking coin. With old Hickory on the reverse.

Andrew Jackson’s Liberty First Spouse $10 Gold Coin

President, 1829–1837

The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 contains a provision to provide continuity of the First Spouse Gold Coin Program during those times in which a president served without a first spouse.  This provision applies to Andrew Jackson, whose wife Rachel died in December 1828, just a few months before his presidential inauguration.

The gold coins issued to accompany any president who served without a spouse will each feature a design emblematic of Liberty on its obverse, as depicted on a United States coin issued during the President’s time in office.  For Andrew Jackson’s presidency, the selected image appeared on the Capped Bust, Lettered Edge Half-Dollar coin from 1807–1836, and was originally executed by United States Mint Engraver John Reich.

Reverse Design

Andrew Jackson, known as “Old Hickory,” is remembered as a war hero who led a force of approximately 4,000 American troops against a British Army more than twice that size and emerged victorious in January 1815 at the Battle of New Orleans.  Although a treaty had been signed at Ghent, Belgium, weeks earlier, the news had not reached either army, and the American troops’ victory at the Battle of New Orleans helped secure that crucial southern sea port as part of the first successful military defense of the country’s national sovereignty.

gold spouse coin

Here are the new release mintage of the First Spouse $10 gold spouse coin, these numbers will change over time and I will publish new numbers. As you can see the coins are not selling as well as the mint thought. That should be a buying opportunity for collectors as the value of these coins with lower population numbers should go up faster.

First Spouse                                      UNC.                               Proof

gold coins first spouse

According to an article in the March 10, 2008 issue of Coin World, thousands of First Spouse Gold Coins have been melted. While this has implications about current demand for the series, it also has implications about the future of the series.

The coins were melted by SilverTowne, a coin dealer and private mint. According to the article, SilverTowne has melted between 5,000 and 7,000 Martha Washington and Louisa Adams coins, including both proof and uncirculated versions. An unspecified number of Thomas Jefferson’s Liberty coins were also melted. In addition, the firm has melted thousands of other recently issued gold commemoratives coins.

According to the president of SilverTowne, the coins were melted after his firm identified little or no retail demand.

I think it’s actually quite saddening that SilverTowne would choose to melt these coins. If they had offered them for sale at melt value prices, I think they would have readily found buyers to deplete their entire inventory. From the firm’s perspective this would have accomplished the same task of liquidating the inventory at the prevailing price of gold without destroying the coins.

As for the implications of the melt, in the short term it seems to indicate a lack of short term demand. In my opinion there is plenty of demand for the coins, as evidenced by the dozens that sell each day on eBay for prices well above the melt value. Perhaps there was just not the kind of bulk demand needed to quickly sell thousands of the coins.

As for the future implications of the melt, a single source has just removed almost 10% of the entire mintage. Mintage figures for these coins will be misleading future collectors, who may find the coins are more scarce than the mintages indicate.

Secondly, the early speculative demand of the series is probably at an end, but this might be a good thing. SilverTowne’s purchases of thousands of the coins no doubt helped fuel the demand. With them and other similar speculators out of the picture, future issues may end up with significantly lower mintages. Eventually there might be super low mintage coins like the Jackie Robinson Gold Commemorative which become worth far more than their weight in gold.

The First Spouse Gold Series is a marathon, not a sprint. It is currently scheduled to run for ten more years. While early speculation has dissolved, I am sure the future has many surprises left in store.

Original Article: http://firstspousegold.us/blog/thousands-of-first-spouse-gold-coins-melted/

First Spouse Gold Coins

First spouse gold coins

The United States is honoring our Nation’s first spouses by issuing one-half ounce $10 gold coins featuring their images, in the order that they served as first spouse.  The United States Mint issues First Spouse Gold Coins on the same schedule as the Presidential $1 Coins issued honoring the presidents.

The First Spouse Gold Coin obverse features portraits of the Nation’s first spouses, their names, the dates and order of their term as first spouse, the year of minting or issuance, “In God We Trust,” and “Liberty.”  Each coin has a unique reverse design featuring an image emblematic of that spouse’s life and work, as well as the inscriptions “The United States of America,” “E Pluribus Unum,” “$10,” “1/2 oz.” and “.9999 Fine Gold.”

When a president served without a first spouse, as did Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, a gold coin is issued bearing an obverse image emblematic of Liberty as depicted on a circulating coin of that era and a reverse image emblematic of themes of that president’s life.