Earlier today, Feb. 18, the United States Mint started taking orders for 2016-W $10 Patricia Nixon First Spouse Gold Coins.
Featuring designs emblematic of Patricia Nixon, wife of the 37th U.S. President Richard Nixon, they are composed of one-half ounce of 24-karat gold and appear in both proof and uncirculated collector-grade finishes.
This release signals the dusk for the First Spouse Gold Coin Program which debuted in 2007 alongside the series of clad dollars commemorating deceased United States presidents. Just two more first ladies will be honored in the program. These include the:
- 2016-W $10 Betty Ford First Spouse Gold Coins
- 2016-W $10 Nancy Reagan First Spouse Gold Coins
Each gold coin coincides with the release of the corresponding Presidential $1 Coin. Betty Ford coins are scheduled for release on Mar. 25 while those for Nancy Reagan are expected to launch in July.
Designs of Patricia Nixon Gold Coins
Design candidates for the Patricia Nixon coin became public in October 2014. They included a total of seven obverse portraits of Mrs. Nixon and five reverse designs emblematic of her life. Earlier this month, the U.S. Mint announced the final designs.
Obverses offer a portrait of the former First Lady, as created by Richard Masters and sculpted by Don Everhart. Surrounding the effigy are inscriptions of PATRICIA NIXON, IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, 2016, 37th, and 1969-1974. Obverses also include initials of the artists and a "W" mint mark denoting their production at the U.S. Mint facility in West Point.
Pat Nixon’s commitment to volunteerism is symbolized on the reverse with stylized figures standing hand in hand around a globe.
Inscriptions include UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, $10, 1/2 OZ., and .9999 FINE GOLD. Richard Masters also designed the reverse. Jim Licaretz executed its sculpting. Their initials are shown toward the lower portion of the design.
Ordering, Prices and Limits
Patricia Nixon Gold Coins may be ordered directly from the United States Mint via its online store located here. Place phone orders using 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
Early pricing is $815.00 for the proof and $795.00 for the uncirculated. These are subject to change based on the United States Mint pricing schedule for gold coins. Current prices are based on a weekly average of LBMA gold that is within the range of $1,200.00 to $1249.99 an ounce.
No more than 10,000 coins will be issued with customer demand determining the proof to uncirculated mintage ratio.
Patricia Nixon Bronze Medals
Bronze medal replicas of the coins will also be available. They will be released as part of the 2016 Nixon Presidential $1 and First Spouse Medal Set on Mar. 3 and as part of the 2016 First Spouse Bronze Medal Set that goes on sale in August.
Did any of them sell?
Could be the sleeper of the series if nobody bought due to the increased costs.
The 2 best are Jackie K. and will be Nancy R.
It is interesting to note that her legal birth name was Thelma Catherine Ryan & was never “Patricia,” although her parents & close friends early on gave her the nickname “Pat”! Funny that the U.S. Mint uses different names for the First Ladies on this gold First Spouse coin series. The Mint seems to go with what most people assume (wrongly) was their real legal (birth name)! For example, First Lady “Lady Bird” Johnson was born Claudia Alta Taylor (yet her gold First Spouse $10 coin has the inscription “Lady Bird Johnson”). I met her twice in Texas on trips… Read more »