James Buchanan’s Liberty First Spouse Gold Coin
2010-W James Buchanan’s Liberty First Spouse Gold Coin
James Buchanan’s Liberty Gold Coin will mark the sixteenth release of the First Spouse Gold Coin series. It will also represent the fourth and final coin in the “Liberty” subset, which has been the focus of some collectors. The coins are expected to be released in September 2010.
Because James Buchanan served as the 15th President without a spouse, an image from a circulating coin of his era is used to portray the concept of Liberty. The First Spouse Coins for the three previous Presidents who served without spouses were Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and Martin Van Buren.
The obverse design for the James Buchanan’s Liberty Gold Coin will be taken from the Liberty Head $2.50 Gold Quarter Eagle, originally designed by Christian Gobrecht. This coin was produced for circulation from 1840 to 1907. Modifications to the design have been made for the series, including the placement of inscriptions “15th Presidency”, “In God We Trust”, the dates of the Presidential term “1857 1861″ and the date of issue “2010″.
The reverse design of the coin features an image of James Buchanan in his early youth when he worked as a bookkeeper in a small country store owned by his family. Reverse inscriptions include “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, the face value “$10″, and the weight and fineness of the gold coin “1/2 oz. .999 fine gold”. The reverse was designed by David Westwood and sculpted by Joseph Menna.
The coins will be issued in proof and uncirculated versions. The maximum mintage will be set at 15,000 coins, across both versions. US Mint sales remain open for approximately one year or until the maximum has been reached.
James Buchanan’s Liberty Gold Coin Specifications
- Year: 2010
- Mint Mark: W
- Edge: Reeded
- Weight: 0.5000 troy oz. (15.554 g)
- Composition: 0.9999 Gold
- Diameter: 1.041 inches (26.49 mm)
- Thickness: 0.074 inches (1.88 mm)
- Mintage: maximum 15,000
