US Gold Coins Julia Grant 2011 10 Dollars First Spouse Gold Coin
First Lady of the United States, 1869–1877
The Julia Grant First Spouse Gold Coin honors the spouse of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States of America. This represented the second release of the year for the 24 karat gold coin series.
On the obverse of the coin is a portrait of the First Lady, designed by US Mint Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Donna Weaver. The required inscriptions surround the portrait, “Julia Grant”, “In God We Trust”, “Liberty”, “2011”, “18th”, and “1869-1877″.
Julia Dent Grant was born on January 26, 1826, near St. Louis. She met future Union General and President Ulysses Grant at her affluent family's plantation, White Haven, where he was welcomed as a former West Point classmate of her brother Frederick. Julia and Lieutenant Grant became engaged in 1844 and married four years later.
During the Civil War, she moved her home often to be as close to her husband as possible while he commanded the Union forces. Julia sometimes brought her children with her if she thought it was safe enough. General Grant won decisive victories at Shiloh in April 1862, at Vicksburg in July 1863, and at Chattanooga in November 1863. Julia was at his side as he rose to be one of the most famous generals in American history and, ultimately, the 18th President.
The reverse of the Julia Grant First Spouse Coin provides a glimpse into the courtship of Julia Dent and Ulysses S. Grant. The two are shown on horseback, riding at the family plantation known as White Haven. The future President, then a West Point cadet, is shown in uniform. The design is by Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Richard Masters. The inscriptions on the reverse include “United States of America”, the motto “E Pluribus Unum”, “$10”, and “1/2 oz. .999 Fine Gold”.
Sales of the coin began at the United States Mint on June 23, 2011, with initial pricing of $929 for the proof and $916 for the uncirculated version. In the ensuing months, the market price of gold experienced a sharp increase, which brought prices as high as $1,054 and $1,041 respectively. The market price of gold subsequently fell, bringing prices lower, although still above initial pricing.
The maximum mintage established across both proof and uncirculated versions was 15,000, however as seen in recent years the US Mint did not produce coins to the full extent of the maximum.
The proof version of the coin sold out on March 30, 2012 after just over nine months of availability. The final audited mintage for the proof coin was 3,943. The uncirculated version of the coin had continued to remain available for nearly another five months. A sell out finally occurred on August 28, 2012, with a final mintage of 2,892.
Coin Specifications and Mintages
Date: 2011
Mint: West Point (W)
Mintage: 2,892 (uncirculated), 3,943 (proof)
Designers: Donna Weaver (obverse), Richard Masters (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)
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
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2012 First Spouse Gold Coins
2013 First Spouse Gold Coins
2014 First Spouse Gold Coins
2015 First Spouse Gold Coins