The 2011 First Spouse Gold Coins will mark the fifth year for the program from the US Mint. Featured in the series are half ounce 24-karat gold strikes honoring the spouses of the former Presidents of the United States of America.
2011 First Spouse Gold Coins Line-Art - Click to Enlarge
Coins in the program are struck at the US Mint’s West Point facility to a diameter of 1.043 inches and a thickness of 0.074 inches from the previously mentioned 1/2 ounce of .9999 fine gold. Only one other annual release from the Mint is struck from this high grade of gold, the American Buffalo. The remaining US Mint gold coins are typically struck from a composition of 90% of the precious metal.
The First Spouse Coins were authorized under the Presidential $1 Coin Act (Public Law 109-145) along with a series of circulating $1 coins honoring the former Presidents. These $1 coins are scheduled at a release rate of four per year in the order in which they served as the nation’s leader. The spouse coins are to be released on a similar schedule tied to those associated Presidents.
Typically shown on the obverse of the Spouse Coins are a portrait of the honored individual along with their name, their dates of service, the issue date and the inscriptions of IN GOD WE TRUST and LIBERTY. The reverse showcases a scene in the life of the spouse and also includes the inscriptions of THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, $10, 1/2 OZ. and .9999 FINE GOLD.
The US Mint released the 2011 Spouse final design images on February 9, 2011.
2011 will see four First Spouse Coins issued honoring these individuals:
- Eliza Johnson, wife of Andrew Johnson
- Julia S. Grant, wife of Ulysses S. Grant
- Lucy Hayes, wife of Rutherford B. Hayes
- Lucretia Garfield, wife of James Garfield
While not required for the 2011 strikes, Congress made allowances for special situations in regards to these spouse coins. For instance, if the President had no spouse while married, an image of the mythical figure of Liberty will be used instead on the coin. Conversely, if the President was married to more than one person while in office, both will be featured on separate coins.
