Candidate designs have been unveiled for next year’s 24-karat gold coins featuring former First Lady Nancy Reagan. Mrs. Reagan would be the first living person to appear on a U.S. coin since the commemorative 1995 Special Olympics Silver Dollars depicted Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The one-half ounce, $10-denominated issues will also mark an end to the United States Mint’s series of First Spouse Gold Coins.
Like past releases, product options will include collector qualities of proof and uncirculated with each coin struck at the West Point Mint. Candidate designs include 11 portraits of Nancy Reagan and 9 scenes emblematic of her life and major initiates as first lady while Ronald Reagan served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. (See the recommended Ronald Reagan $1 designs.)
Mrs. Reagan saw each design and favored portrait design #1 and reverse design #9, which highlights her "Just Say No" drug awareness campaign.
All 20 designs have also been looked at by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and the Commission of Fine Arts, two bodies tasked with reviewing U.S. coin and medal designs. Portrait design #1 is the clear choice after making minor enhancements to the hair and soothing the features around the eyes.
CCAC members voiced their support in honoring Mrs. Reagan’s selections but they also suggested re-working candidate reverses #4, #5, #8 and #9 and then bringing them back for everyone to review. An idea for #5 was to show Nancy Reagan’s hand against that of a child.
Here are images of the proposed designs. They may be enlarged with a click.
Obverse Design Candidates
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Reverse Design Candidates
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“Talk to the hand” probably isn’t the best idea for a reverse. Numbers 6 and 7 are cute, positive, and present a program that actually can work.
I don’t have the FULL requirements of the Law authorization to strike this coin when she (Nancy Reagan) is alive. Rosalyn Carter is alive also and the “Spouse” of Jimmy Carter. Since, the series is dedicated to “First Spouse” as the wife of the 39th President why would she be excluded?
We love you Nancy…. A great first lady along with Jackie Kennedy…
Several living people have been on commemorative coins, going right back to Calvin Coolidge with the 1926 Sesquicentennial half and an Alabama governor for a 1921 issue for the state’s centennial. It’s funny, but the laws prohibit this for notes (because a Treasury official once put himself on one) and stamps. (Although in several cases living people have appeared, such as the paratroopers around Eisenhower in a picture used for a D-Day commemorative issue.) However coins seem to have been forgotten, I guess because Liberty or dead presidents was the usual fare. As for Rosalyn, I guess the relevant paragraph… Read more »
Thanks Richard, so there is rhyme and reason after all. Nice to keep Presidents and Spouses in order, but nicer still to have Jimmy still with us helping people.
The Republicans are missing their chance. They’ve wanted a Reagan coin since 2011 and I haven’t heard of any pending legislation lobbied by the dollar coin folks to terminate $1 bill production and make a permanent Reagan dollar after this issue.
Received Nancy Reagan gold proof. There is a flaw in her chin, looks like a tiny bit of Au flaked off the surface; either that or acne. Anybody see similar issue on theirs?