US Gold Coins Martha Washington $10 Dollars First Spouse Gold Coin
First Lady of the United States, 1789–1797
The obverse of the Martha Washington First Spouse Gold Coin features her portrait as designed and sculpted by Joseph Menna. She served as First Lady from 1789 to 1797 during the Presidency of her husband George Washington. The obverse inscriptions include “Martha Washington”, “In God We Trust”, “Liberty”, the order of the Presidency “1st”, the dates of the Presidential term “1789-1797″, and the date and mint mark “2007 W”.
The reverse of the coin depicts a younger Martha Washington sewing a button onto her husband’s uniform jacket. She showed great concern for soldiers during the Revolutionary War and is known for having organized sick wards, repairing uniforms, and encouraging others to support the troops. She is known to have organized sick wards and persuaded the society ladies of Morristown to roll bandages from their fine napkins and tablecloths, as well as to repair uniforms and knit shirts for the poorly equipped Continental soldiers. Her presence in the encampments of the Continental Army was an example to other officer's wives and a significant factor in lifting the morale of her husband's tired, cold and hungry troops. The reverse inscriptions include “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, “First Lady of the Continental Army”, the denomination “$10″, the gold content “1/2 oz.”, and the purity “.9999 Fine Gold”. The reverse was designed by Susan Gamble and sculpted by Don Everhart.
The series of 24 karat gold coins honoring the spouses of the Presidents began with the Martha Washington First Spouse Gold Coin. The issue was met with particularly high demand from collectors, which led to a prompt sell out.
The First Spouse coins represented the first time that the United States Mint issued a consecutive coin program featuring women, and the first time a face value of $10 was used for a one-half ounce gold coin. Similar to the American Gold Buffalo introduced in the previous year, the coins were struck in .9999 purity or 24 karat gold.
Initially, the US Mint planned to release all of the year’s coins simultaneously within a multi-coin set, but the expected high interest from collectors resulted in a change of plans. The Martha Washington and Abigail Adams gold coins were released together on June 19, 2007. The two remaining issues for 2007 and subsequent years were released individually.
Martha Washington First Spouse Coins were offered in both proof and uncirculated versions. The proof version was originally priced at $429.95 and the uncirculated version was priced at $410.95. On the day of release, the market price of gold was $656.30 per ounce.
A combined maximum mintage for the coins was established at 40,000 units. By the end of the first day of sales, orders had been received for this entire amount and a sell out was announced. Final audited mintage figures were ultimately lower than the maximum at 17,661 uncirculated coins and 19,167 proofs.
Martha Washington
Martha Washington, née Martha Dandridge, also called (1749–1759) Martha Custis (born June 13 [O.S. June 2] 1731, née Dandridge; New Kent county, Virginia [U.S.] — died May 22, 1802, Mount Vernon, Virginia, U.S.), American first lady (1789–97), the wife of George Washington, first president of the United States and commander in chief of the colonial armies during the American Revolutionary War. She set many of the standards and customs for the proper behaviour and treatment of the president’s wife. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States. During her lifetime she was often referred to as "Lady Washington".
Daughter of farmers John and Frances Jones Dandridge, Martha grew up among the wealthy plantation families of the Tidewater region of eastern Virginia, and she received an education traditional for young women of her class and time, one in which domestic skills and the arts far outweighed science and mathematics. In 1749, at age 18, she married Daniel Parke Custis, who was 20 years her senior and an heir to a neighbouring plantation. During their life together she bore four children, two of whom died in infancy. Her husband’s death in July 1757 made her one of the wealthiest widows in the region.
In the spring of the following year George Washington, then a young plantation owner and commander of the Virginia forces in the French and Indian War, began to court her, and their attachment grew increasingly deep. The couple married at Martha’s home on January 6, 1759, and she and her children joined Washington at Mount Vernon, his plantation on the Potomac River. Washington later resented suggestions, which were undoubtedly true, that his wife’s considerable property had eased his life in the early years of their marriage.
Widowed at 25, she had four children with her first husband Daniel Parke Custis, two of her children by Custis survived to young adulthood. She brought great wealth to her marriage to Washington, which enabled him to buy land and many slaves to add to his personal estate. She also brought nearly 100 dower slaves for her use during her lifetime; they and their descendants reverted to her late husband's estate at her death and were inherited by his heirs. She and Washington did not have children together but they did rear her two children by Daniel Parke Custis, including son John "Jackey" Custis, as well as helping both of their extended families.
At Mount Vernon Martha became known for her graciousness and hospitality. After George was chosen to command the American forces in the Revolutionary War, Martha spent winters with him at his various military quarters, where she lived simply and encouraged other officers’ wives to help in the war effort by economizing and assisting their husbands. After the war, during which her only surviving son died, Martha virtually adopted two of her grandchildren, and they substituted in many ways for the children she and George never had.
In 1789, shortly after her husband’s inauguration as president of the United States, Martha joined him in New York City, then the national capital. Martha was widely hailed and often feted along the route, and she became known to Americans as “Lady Washington.” The couple’s rented home on Broadway also served as the president’s office, exposing her to her husband’s callers and drawing her into political discussions more than would have been the case had home and office been separated. When Philadelphia became the seat of government in 1790 and the Washingtons moved to a house on High Street, Martha’s hospitality became even more elaborate. The first lady took no stands on public issues, but she was criticized by some for entertaining on a scale too opulent for a republican government, and she was only too glad to retire to Mount Vernon after her husband completed his second term of office in 1797.
Following George’s death in 1799, Martha continued to reside at Mount Vernon. In 1800 Congress granted her a lifetime franking privilege, which it continued to grant to any president’s widow who applied for it. After Martha died in 1802, there was considerable discussion in Congress about burying the Washingtons in the capital city that bore their name, but instead she was buried beside George in a family tomb at Mount Vernon.
As wife of the first president of the United States, Martha Washington had no examples to follow. Although she was reluctant to assume a public role, her willingness to do so contributed to the eventual strength and influence of the position of first lady.
US Gold Coins
First Spouse Gold Coins Program
2007 First Spouse Gold Coins
Martha Washington Abigail Adams Thomas Jefferson’s Liberty Dolley Madison
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