US Gold Coins Eliza Johnson 2011 10 Dollars First Spouse Gold Coin
First Lady of the United States, 1865 — 1869
The Eliza Johnson First Spouse Gold Coin began the fifth year of the series honoring the First Ladies of the United States. She was the wife of President Andrew Johnson, who served as the 17th President from 1865 to 1869.
Eliza McCardle Johnson was born on October 4, 1810, in Greeneville, Tenn. She was almost 16 and Andrew Johnson only 17 when they met. She married him within a year, on May 17, 1827. They converted the small front room of their rented house into a tailor shop where they worked side–by–side. Mrs. Johnson had a profound influence on the informal education of the future President, including encouraging him to join in local debates in order to enhance his oratorical skills.
In late 1868, it was her love of children that led Mrs. Johnson to make a rare public appearance as first lady. During their final days in the White House, the Johnsons celebrated the President's 60th birthday with a ball to which only children were invited.
The obverse of the coin features a portrait of Eliza Johnson designed by Joel Iskowitz. The inscriptions include “Eliza Johnson”, “In God We Trust”, “Liberty”, the order of the Presidency “17th”, the dates of the term “1865-1869″, the issue date, and the mint mark.
The reverse of the coin is intended to represent the First Lady’s love of children. It depicts three children dancing and a Marine Band fiddler playing at the children's ball. The guests were entertained by the music of Marine Band fiddlers and young students from a local dance academy. For President Johnson's 60th birthday ball, more than 300 invitations were sent to the sons and daughters of Washington officials, diplomats and White House staff. A red carpet was stretched over the path leading to the entrance, and the rooms were filled with flowers. The only parents there were the Johnsons and their own grown children, the official hosts. The first lady greeted every guest while seated to the side in an armchair. When the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee reviewed design candidates, they believed that this option, in which the First Lady was not present, was a more symbolic representation of the event. The design was created by Gary Whitley. Reverse inscriptions around the outer edge of the coin include “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, the nominal face value “$10”, the gold content and fineness “1/2 oz. .9999 Fine Gold”.
Coin Specifications and Mintages
Date: 2011
Mint: West Point (W)
Mintage: 2,905 (uncirculated), 3,887 (proof)
Designers: Joel Iskowitz (obverse), Gary Whitely (reverse)
Composition: 0.9999 Gold
Weight: 0.5000 troy oz. (15.554 g)
Diameter: 1.041 inches (26.49 mm)
Thickness: 0.074 inches (1.88 mm)
Sales of the Eliza Johnson First Spouse Gold Coins began at the United States Mint on May 5, 2011. Pricing established for the start of sales was $929 for the proof version and $916 for the uncirculated. These price levels were determined based on the average market price of gold leading up to the release and subject to adjustment throughout the duration of the offering. The maximum mintage was set at 15,000 pieces across both versions.
With the release of the following year’s issues of the series delayed, the US Mint continued sales of the Eliza Johnson coins for more than one year from the original release date. The uncirculated version finally sold out on June 5, 2012 when no more coins remained available within inventory. A sell out of the proof version of the coin would follow on June 20.
The final mintages were 2,905 uncirculated coins and 3,887 proofs, for a combined total of 6,792. At the time, this established a fresh mintage low for the series, although it would prove to be short lived.
US Gold Coins
First Spouse Gold Coins Program
2007 First Spouse Gold Coins
2008 First Spouse Gold Coins
2009 First Spouse Gold Coins
2010 First Spouse Gold Coins
2011 First Spouse Gold Coins
Eliza Johnson Julia Grant Lucy Hayes Lucretia Garfield
2012 First Spouse Gold Coins
2013 First Spouse Gold Coins
2014 First Spouse Gold Coins
2015 First Spouse Gold Coins