Posts Tagged ‘first lady’

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 First Spouse BU Gold Coin

Martha Washington First Spouse BU Gold Coin