One week ago, on August 9, 2012, the United States Mint removed the 2011-W Uncirculated Lucretia Garfield First Spouse Gold Coin from its sales line-up and placed the product page on the "No Longer Available" section of its website. Beside the coin are the words "Sold Out."
Its last price was $966 and, according to the latest sales figures as of August 13, just 2,498 sold since launching on December 1, 2011. Per the U.S. Mint, its last weekly sales surged by 525. Until then, it would have been the scarcest of the no longer available coins.
That distinction, unless figures change, belongs to the uncirculated Lucy Hayes First Spouse Gold Coin at 2,260. It went off sale earlier this month and likely helped drive interest for the Uncirculated Lucretia Garfield with collectors hoping to get in on a real scarcity.
The Lucretia Garfield proof version is still for sale at $979.00, and so far, collectors have purchased 3,017 of them. Its final sales date is unknown.
Although the Lucretia Garfield First Spouse Gold Coin had a stated mintage limit of 15,000 total between the uncirculated and proof options, demand for both had been slow, similar to all of the 2011-dated First Spouse Gold Coins. The U.S. Mint has stopped selling five out of the eight 2011 coins already. None of them achieved anywhere near their initially stated mintage.
Only the first three strikes in the 24-karat gold series reached their maximums, which were 40,000 in 2007. Each of the coins since then has fallen short of their limit even with the Mint drastically reducing them.
Whether proof or uncirculated, each First Spouse Gold Coin is composed from 99.99% fine gold. Denominated as $10, the coins have a diameter of 1.043 inches and weigh 0.5000 troy ounces.
To purchase one of the three remaining spousal coins, visit the U.S. Mint website at http://www.usmint.gov/catalog or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
The U.S. Mint has yet to schedule release dates for any of the eight 2012 First Spouse Gold Coins.
