US Gold Coins
Frances Cleveland First Term 2012 10 Dollars First Spouse Gold Coin
First Lady of the United States, 1886–1889
The Frances Cleveland First Spouse Gold Coin was issued in 2012 to honor the spouse of the 22nd President of the United States Grover Cleveland. This represented the second release of the year and the twenty-third release overall for the one-half ounce 24 karat gold coin series.
The obverse design of the coin features a portrait with the required inscriptions. These include her name, the order of the Presidency “22nd”, the dates of the term “1886-1889”, “In God We Trust”, “Liberty”, and the date. The obverse was designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Don Everhart.
President Grover Cleveland had entered the White House as a bachelor, but soon married Frances Folsom Cleveland. At the time, she was 21 years of age and remains the youngest First Lady in history. Her beauty and charm won over public opinion, despite her young age.
Frances Folsom Cleveland was born July 21, 1864, in Buffalo, New York, and married President Grover Cleveland on June 2, 1886. As first lady, she held receptions at the White House for working-class women who were unable to visit on week days. Common "shop girls," government clerks, maids and other service industry workers lined up in the regal East Room or, weather permitting, on the south lawn to shake the hand and have a personal word with the young and popular first lady. After she attended a ceremony marking the opening of an organization dedicated to educational, social and other opportunities for factory workers, she personally greeted women workers. The cover of the November 1887 Harper's Weekly magazine featured the event on its cover.
Despite President Cleveland's best efforts, "Frankie," as she was called in the popular press, was an instant celebrity. She was so mobbed by admirers at public events that the President feared for her safety. The new first lady joined the President in an unprecedented tour of the south and west in 1887, and it only increased her fame and popularity.
On the reverse of the coin features a scene of the First Lady at the working women’s receptions held at the White House. Inscriptions include “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, the legal tender denomination of “$10”, and the precious metal weight and purity. The reverse was designed by Barbara Fox and sculpted by Michael Gaudioso.
The United States Mint experienced striking problems for the coin, which delayed the release until nearly the end of the year.
Sales did not begin until November 15, 2012 when the individual proof coins were priced at $1,029 and the individual uncirculated coins were priced at $1,016. Pricing for the coins would fluctuate during the period of availability based on the market price of gold, eventually dipping as low as $840 for the proof and $820 for the uncirculated version.
The maximum mintage across proof and uncirculated coins was established at 13,000 coins. Sales would continue into the following year and eventually conclude on December 31, 2013. The last reported sales reached 2,454 uncirculated and 3,158 proof coins.
Coin Specifications and Mintages
Date: 2012
Mint: West Point (W)
Mintage: 2,454 (uncirculated), 3,158 (proof)
Designers: Joel Iskowitz (obverse), Barbara Fox (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
2012 First Spouse Gold Coins
Alice Paul Frances Cleveland 1st Term Caroline Harrison
2013 First Spouse Gold Coins
2014 First Spouse Gold Coins
2015 First Spouse Gold Coins