US Gold Coins
Helen Taft 2013 10 Dollars First Spouse Gold Coin
First Lady of the United States, 1909 — 1913
The 2013 Helen Taft First Spouse Gold Coin represented the third release of the year for the series. Sales for each of the coins had opened in rapid succession due to production problems and other issues, which had delayed the release until nearly the end of the year.
The obverse of the coin featured a front facing portrait of the First Lady designed by William C. Burgard and engraved by Phebe Hemphill. The image was surrounded by the required inscriptions “Helen Taft”, “In God We Trust”, “Liberty”, “2013”, the “W” mint mark, the order of the Presidency “27th”, and the dates served “1909-1913″.
Helen Herron "Nellie" Taft was born June 1, 1861, in Cincinnati. At 17, she was a White House guest of President and Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes, who were close friends with her parents. She later met "Will" Taft when he was a student at Cincinnati Law School. They married in 1886, and when he became president in 1909, it gave her the position she had coveted since that visit to the White House. She was an active first lady who had a bandstand built at the Tidal Basin so the Marine Band could play there on Sundays. She also supported the establishment of the First Ladies Collection at the Smithsonian, starting the custom of first ladies donating their inaugural gowns to the institution. Mrs. Taft is best known for the Japanese cherry trees around the Tidal Basin, which were a gift from the mayor of Tokyo to the American people. She planted the first two trees herself in March 1912. She continued to be active in Washington while former President Taft served as Supreme Court chief justice and continued to live in the capital until her death in 1943.
The reverse features features a branch of Japanese cherry blossoms, intended to symbolize Helen Taft’s role in bringing the cherry trees to Washington, D.C. Together with some of the other reverse designs for this year, this continued a shift towards more symbolic images as opposed to literal interpretations. Inscriptions on the reverse included “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, “$10″, and “1/2 oz. .9999 Fine Gold”. The reverse was designed by Richard Masters and engraved by Charles Vickers.
Sales opened on December 2, 2013 with the typical proof and uncirculated versions available. The initial pricing was $815 for the proof version and $795 for the uncirculated version. This represented a new low for initial pricing and was based on an average weekly market price of gold within the $1,200 to $1,249.99 range. Pricing would remain subject to potential change throughout the course of the offering.
A maximum mintage of 10,000 pieces was established across both versions of the coin. Collector demand had fallen considerably since the initial releases of the series, and accordingly the US Mint had gradually reduced the mintage levels.
Coin Specifications and Mintages
Date: 2013
Mint: West Point (W)
Mintage: TBD
Designers: William C. Burgard (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
2012 First Spouse Gold Coins
2013 First Spouse Gold Coins
2014 First Spouse Gold Coins
2015 First Spouse Gold Coins