The 2013 First Spouse Gold Coins will mark the seventh year for the series honoring the spouses of the former Presidents of the United States of America with 24-karat gold coins.
Congress authorized the series with the Presidential $1 Coin Act (Public Law 109-145) also responsible for a series of circulating $1 coins honoring the Presidents themselves. Both program are to be released on approximately the same schedule with four Presidents honored annually and their associated spouse strikes released that same year.
Each of the First Spouse Coins is struck from one half ounce of .9999 fine gold to either proof or uncirculated condition at the US Mint’s West Point facility. The only other release typically struck from this quality of gold by the Mint is the American Buffalo Gold Coin.
Shown on the obverse of each coin will be a portrait of the honored individual. Included as well will be inscriptions indicating their name, the order in which they served, their years of service, the year of issuance, IN GOD WE TRUST and LIBERTY.
The reverse of each strike will portray a scene from the life of the spouse. Surrounding the scene will be the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, $10 and 1/2 OZ .9999 FINE GOLD.
Five First Spouse Coins will be issued by the US Mint in 2013:
- Ida McKinley Gold Coins , honoring the wife of William McKinley
- Edith Roosevelt Gold Coins, honoring the wife of Theodore Roosevelt
- Helen Taft Gold Coins, honoring the wife of William Howard Taft
- Ellen Wilson Gold Coins, honoring the first wife of Woodrow Wilson
- Edith Wilson Gold Coins, honoring the second wife of Woodrow Wilson
As shown on the list above, if the President had more than one spouse while in office, both will be honored on separate coins as part of the series.
