If you’ve been tracking the U.S. Mint’s premium precious metal releases, you know that the First Spouse gold coins series is something worth talking about. It has been a hit with collectors since it first arrived on the scene in 2007.
These heavy-hitting, half-ounce First Spouse gold coins honor the wives of each commander-in-chief featured in the Presidential $1 coin series — which honors our nation’s former, deceased presidents since 2007.
Each $10 First Spouse gold coin was released at the same time as her husband’s $1 Presidential coin.
$10 First Spouse Coin Designs
Each First Spouse gold coin features the spouse to whom a president was married while serving in the White House.
- On the obverse (“heads side”) is an image of the first spouse.
- On the reverse (“tails side”) is an image emblematic of that first spouse’s role in the White House, society, or life.
For example, the Martha Washington First Spouse coin (which was the initial First Spouse coin released, in concurrence with the George Washington Presidential $1 coin in January 2007 — has an image of the “first” first spouse on the obverse. The reverse shows Mrs. Washington sewing a button onto the military uniform of her husband, George Washington. Martha Washington was well known for her role during the Revolutionary War helping wounded and ailing soldiers.
Dolley Madison is another first spouse who was honored in 2007 when her husband, President James Madison, was featured on his own coin. Dolley Madison is pictured on the obverse of her $10 First Spouse coin. On the reverse, she is seen standing in the White House holding the Cabinet papers while standing in front of the famous portrait of George Washington as painted by Gilbert Stuart. She saved both the portrait and the documents when she and fled the White House just before British troops set the landmark on fire in August 1814.
What If There Was No First Spouse?
Interestingly, not all of the First Spouse coins feature a “first spouse.” While most of our nation’s presidents were married during their time in office, some were not.
There have been cases when a president either never married, or was not married during presidency.
Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, and James Buchanan (who appears on the dollar coin in 2010) each were not married at the time of their presidency.
As the U.S. Mint maintains the continuity of the First Spouse coin program, for the period during which there is no first spouse to include in the series, it is producing a coin which honors the president and, on the obverse, includes a picture of Liberty as seen on U.S. coins at the time that president served.
For example, when the Thomas Jefferson dollar coin was released, a First Spouse coin was released bearing an image of a “Liberty Bust” (as seen on U.S. coins of the late 1790s and early 1800s) on the obverse. On the reverse is an image of a memorial monument which was erected on Jefferson’s Monticello property after his death.
For Martin Van Buren, who was also unmarried at the time of his presidency, the First Spouse coin has an obverse image depicting the famous Seated Liberty design seen on many of our nation’s coins from the late 1830s through the early 1890s. On the reverse of the coin is a young Martin Van Buren studying under a tree in his hometown of Kinderhook, New York.
How Much Are $10 First Spouse Gold Coins Worth?
Based on gold prices at the time, the U.S. Mint charged anywhere from $400 to $900 for an uncirculated version OR proof version when each spouse coin was first released.
With regard to current value… the half-ounce of pure gold is sitting at a melt value of roughly $2,000 to $2,500 right now!
First Spouse Medals: A More Affordable Option
The $10 First Spouse gold coin series poses one major problem for the collector on a budget: the coins are simply too expensive for many coin collectors!
So how can a collector get their hands on U.S. Mint-made commemorations of our nation’s first spouses without having to spend hundreds or thousands dollars to buy those pieces?
Fortunately, the government left a great backdoor open for budget-conscious collectors.
The Budget Hack: You can score the exact same artwork in the form of 1-5/16-inch bronze medals. Each First Spouse bronze medal sells for around $5 to $15, depending on design and retailer.
Sure, these bronze medals don’t carry a monetary face value, but they are a dirt-cheap, highly effective way to collect the beautiful historical designs without dropping thousands of dollars on physical gold blocks.
Since the First Spouse bronze medals are not legal tender, you will not find them at any bank, store, or vending machine. First Spouse medals need to be purchased through a private coin or exonumia dealer who sells medals.
How Much Are First Spouse Medals Worth?
First Spouse bronze medals are selling for $5 to $15 each in the aftermarket (meaning private sales, such as from coin dealers).
There is a bit of demand for some of these medals — especially, sets of medals.
Look For The First Spouse Medal Mule Error!
Have you ever heard of a mule error?
That’s when a coin has an obverse (“heads”) and reverse (“tails”) design not intended to be on the same coin together.
In the case of the First Spouse medal series, there have been reports of the 2007 Abigail Adams obverse being found on a medal with the Louisa Adams medal reverse design.
The Adams medal mule error is currently priced around $750 to $1,000.
More about the First Spouse medals and what each bronze medal looks like.
Do You Have Any First Spouse Coins Or Medals?
Are you actively stacking the pure gold versions of these first ladies? Or are you sticking to the affordable bronze medals to fill out your display pages?
Drop a comment below and tell us how you’re collecting this series!
If you’ve got a First Spouse coin or medal in your stash, feel free to snap a picture and share it below.
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