The United States Mint released the 2011 Lucy Hayes First Spouse Gold Coins on Thursday, September 1, at noon Eastern Time. The special collector coins are the twentieth in the 24-karat gold First Spouse series that started five years ago in 2007.
The newest issues, honoring Lucy Hayes, are the third of four designs this year and are available for $1,054.00 for the proof strikes and $1,041.00 for the uncirculated strikes. Prices may rise or fall weekly depending on the direction of gold.
Each coin in the United States Mint series is struck from 1/2 ounce of 99.99 percent fine gold and is only available for a limited time. Although the maximum mintage for the Lucy Hayes coins is 15,000 across both options, it is very likely the Mint will halt sales before the limit is reached, based on actions taken on earlier issues.
Also released by the United States Mint on Thursday is a 1 5/16 inch Lucy Hayes bronze medal for $7.95. The bronze medal shares the same designs as those on the Lucy Hayes First Spouse Gold Coins.
Lucy Ware Webb Hayes was First Lady while her husband Rutherford B. Hayes served as the nineteenth President of the United States between 1877 and 1881. By the time she entered the White House, she had won many admirers. She was beautiful, well educated, and an experienced hostess. She married her husband in 1852, and they had eight children, of whom five survived to adulthood. She was nicknamed "Mother Lucy" by the soldiers under her husband’s command in the Civil War for helping the wounded, and later she was called "Lemonade Lucy" after she left the White House. The famous name came about because Lucy abstained from serving liquor at parties during her husband’s administration.
Lucy Hayes Gold Coin Designs
A right facing semi-profile portrait of Lucy Hayes is on the obverse or heads side of the coin. The image was designed by Susan Gamble and sculpted by Don Everhart. The inscriptions on the obverse include "LUCY HAYES," "IN GOD WE TRUST," "LIBERTY", "2011," "W" (denoting the United States Mint facility at West Point), "19th", and "1877-1881."
The reverse or tails side of the coin depicts Lucy Hayes cheering the children in the first Easter Egg Roll held at the White House. The design was created by Barbara Fox and sculpted by Joseph Menna. Reverse inscriptions are "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "E PLURIBUS UNUM," "$10," "1/2 OZ.," and ".9999 FINE GOLD."
Order, Mintage and Pricing Information
Buyers may place their orders for the Lucy Hayes First Spouse Gold Coins and bronze medal at http://www.usmint.gov/catalog or at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing and speech-impaired customers with TTY equipment may order at 1-888-321-MINT (6468). The Mint charges a $4.95 shipping and handling on all domestic orders.
The gold coins and bronze medals are each sold individually. The collector gold coin comes encapsulated and packaged in a polished, custom-designed, lacquered hardwood presentation case with a Certificate of Authenticity.
As mentioned, the United States Mint has placed a maximum mintage cap of 15,000 across both proof and uncirculated options.
The United States Mint pricing policy for the First Spouse Gold Coin requires an evaluation every Wednesday of the seven-day average of the London Fix gold price. If the average gold price changes by more than $49.99, then the Mint will adjust its prices according to a preset amount in a price grid. The current average resides between $1,750.00 and $1,799.99 an ounce. Should the average move outside the range, the Lucy Hayes gold coin prices — as well as the other First Spouse Gold Coins — will move up or down by $25.
Related US Mint Products
Other 2011 spouse coins and their release dates include:
- Eliza Johnson (released on May 5, 2011)
- Julia Grant (released on June 23, 2011)
- Lucretia Garfield (scheduled for December 1, 2011)
First Spouse Gold Coins are issued in the same order as the Presidential $1 Coins and usually launch few weeks apart. The United States Mint released the Hayes $1 into circulation on August 18, 2011.
A set containing the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential $1 Coin and the Lucy Hayes bronze medal is scheduled for release on September 22, although the date is subject to change.
I am happy to see this trend in gold coins, where the mints are caring about not only the purity but as well as the designs. Beautiful!