Starting demand for U.S. Mint issued 2012 Alice Paul coins was the strongest in the bureau’s collectible 24-karat gold coin series since 2010.
On Thursday, October 11, the U.S. Mint released the proof and uncirculated Alice Paul and the Suffrage Movement Gold Coins. By Monday, October 15, collectors ordered a total of 3,202, with splits of 1,808 proof and 1,394 uncirculated. The total easily outpaced the starting performances of any of last year’s first spouse coin releases.
For comparison purposes, here is a snapshot of how Alice Paul gold coin sales stack up against the opening sales of older First Spouse Gold Coins:
| First Spouse Gold Coins | US Mint Issue Date | Debut Sales | Latest Sales |
| 2012 Alice Paul Suffrage Movement Gold Coin | Oct. 11, 2012 | 3,202 | |
| 2011 Lucretia Garfield First Spouse Gold Coins | Dec. 1, 2011 | 2,352 | 5,844 |
| 2011 Lucy Hayes First Spouse Gold Coin | Sept. 1, 2011 | 2,122 | 5,939 |
| 2011 Julia Grant First Spouse Gold Coins | June 23, 2011 | 2,598 | 6,930 |
| 2011 Eliza Johnson First Spouse Gold Coin | May 5, 2011 | 2,108 | 6,812 |
| 2010 Mary Todd Lincoln First Spouse Gold Coins | Dec. 2, 2010 | 5,505 | 10,669 |
| 2010 Buchanan’s Liberty First Spouse Gold Coin | Sept. 2, 2010 | 6,127 | 12,652 |
| 2010 Jane Pierce First Spouse Gold Coins | June 3, 2010 | 2,434 | 8,176 |
| 2010 Abigail Fillmore First Spouse Gold Coin | Mar. 18, 2010 | 2,881 | 9,629 |
| 2009 Margaret Taylor First Spouse Gold Coins | Dec. 3, 2009 | 2,839 | 8,217 |
| 2009 Sarah Polk First Spouse Gold Coin | Sept. 3, 2009 | 2,605 | 8,658 |
Demand for the 99.99% fine gold coins has improved for some of the more recent issues as collectors have found their lower mintages very appealing.
Alice Paul Suffrage Movement Gold Coins have the added attraction of being unique. Unlike past First Spouse Gold Coins that were released as a companion to a Presidential $1 coin featuring a President who was not married while in office, it does not depict an image of Lady Liberty. Plus, the coin debuted much later in the year than intended, and that can tend to build pent up demand.
Well, this may be a top selling coin, it is certainly an oddity. How the Mint and Congress installed this into the First Spouse series is beyond me. The other spousal coins at least have reference to the President that was in office during these date, if only by their last names. I see this coin as a Commemorative, and only a commemorative. This should be the official ending to the First Spouse series.
It’s an aberration of the first spouse series that was identified specifically in the law to be exactly what it is. Corresponds to Chester Arthur, the last of the unmarrieds. Subsequent first spouse coins will be back to the liberty design as the previous coins were.
As you say, it can be construed more as a commemorative since it doesn’t seem to be tied to any president at all. In that sense a coin probably more worth investing in than any of the other first spouse or liberty subset coins.
These have a mintage of 13,000 among proof and uncirculated pieces. The mintages are falling lower and lower but still, for a US coin that is incredibly low! Everyone was freaking out about the 100,000 mintage of the 2011 silver eagles. I might start getting coins of the first spouse series because they do have good profit potential. I know Silver Eagles are a lot more classical but still.
Profits come from low supply and high demand. Max mintage is just getting down to reality figures. After the first year, sales have averaged a little under 10,000. And there’s your demand. The market is sated. The prices are too high or the coins are plain unpopular and nobody wants them. Except for a rise in the price of gold I think your profit potential for first spouse coins is very limited.