The first spouse series is now 15 years old
kiyote
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And I have to say, I have never seen the series more dead than it is now. There seems to be almost no real spread whatsoever from common coins with the highest mintages to the coins with the lowest mintages. They all go for about 5% over melt. Maybe 7% more for the coins with mintages under 2,000.
As far as being a long-term hold, your grandkids might one day see a price increase but I don’t think I will in my lifetime. I’m holding a Betty Ford and a Grace Coolidge PCGS MS70 FS but the only real increase seems to be from the price of gold going up.
"I'll split the atom! I am the fifth dimension! I am the eighth wonder of the world!" -Gef the talking mongoose.
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Yes this mostly ugly series has died a faithful and justifiable death.
Mitch was one of the few standing long-term members that had faith in the series.
You are doing pretty well above spot, my dealer offered me 98% on some Martha Washington’s!
I kept a Jefferson liberty or two.
It’s over and not over yet
2 years after a president dies, Congress can make a law for a new presidential dollar and first spouse. This can go on forever. Also, congress can go rogue and pass the law early
A few would look great as pendants— Jefferson’s Liberty being the prime candidate. That would use up at least some but even with any melting going on even if half the available coins disappeared into a furnace I don’t think anyone would notice
Can a super low mintage gold coin have the mintage lowered by documented melting?
I got lucky when these first came out.
I was on the US Mint website a few minutes before the first two FS coins were to be released. Recall, the US Mint released the Martha Washington and Abigail Adams coins on the same day at the same time. Anyway, the coins were to be sold at something like noon and I was banging around the site to look at the mock-ups of them around 11:55 AM. Just for the heck of it I attempted to load a cart full of them (five each for both proof and mint state versions for a total of 20 coins). To my surprise, the cart loaded! I then went through the checkout and paid for my 20 pieces prior to the mad rush that began at noon. I believe they all sold out within around 20 minutes.
I ordered on a Tuesday, received the coins that Thursday (two-day shipping!) and was selling them at around twice my cost before my check was even cashed by the US Mint! That was a great bit of luck.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Yeah. I bought one from you. Took about five years to recoup. When gold hit $2k. It was gone. Whew.
Some forum history.....................
Back in the day the forum collectively and lovingly termed these coins the 'First Hags.'
Couldn't say that today, right??
Sorry about that, @TwoSides2aCoin. If I recall correctly, I was pricing them at a decent percentage below what they were going for on ebay and they just seemed to be climbing higher everyday, so I thought I was being fair to all involved.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
It's all good TomB. I'm glad gold went up. And that coin is selling for $200 more today , than what I paid you for it. It's a "time" thing. I do like that they're 24k.
My dealer had no idea what they were! I would surmise a few other are in that boat.
Thank goodness gold hit 2000 so I could get out of the Martha’s.
And yes Bully, I would still say that.
Maybe I could make a stellar ring out of the Jefferson. Such nostalgia for a uniquely Unloved series.
My dealer sends them straight to the smelter. Smart move. He, like many, likes American Eagles and buffaloes for gold.
Mintage Could be 100 and it would still be, as Miles played, So What!
I still have some in unopened boxes first strike eligible. I’m still holding out hope....... not. Dead dead and dead that series is.
Martin
Check to see which ones you have as some in FS have sold fpr pretty good money-a recent Margaret Talylor in PR 70 at over 9K comes to mind. For whatever reason the FS designation is important on these. Also, even with the higher bullion prices of late, I see a lot fewer of these and the modern gold commems for sale in the past two years.
Some day a numismatic marketer will tout these things as "great numismatic rarities with wonderful investment potential." So far it hasn't happened, but it will.
The trouble with the series is that many of these women don't deserve a commemorative coin. A few of the them were selfish and crazy, for example Jane Pierce and Mary Lincoln. Most of them did no more than marry well. The series made no sense from the beginning, and the reaction among the collecting public reflected that.
I did not have any interest in this series - before, during or now, after. Plus, when I saw some, they were not attractive at all... and that is being kind IMO. Cheers, RickO
Here is my only First Spouse coin, the Jackie Kennedy piece. Jackie and John Kennedy date back to a time when I had "political innocence." I admired the President and First Lady when I was in middle school. Then came Viet Nam, and it's never been the same. I bought this pair to remember those times.
These are almost classics using my definition which is older than a YN.
@batumi thanks for the heads up I don’t think I went that far. Think I only went 4 years or so. In the end I’ve done ok with them. Probably better than other mint releases I’ve made
Martin
In early 2008, I purchased my one and only first spouse gold coin from the US Mint. I bought the 2007 proof Dolley Madison. It was $534.90 delivered. I still have it, and have no intention of selling it anytime soon.
The mintages on the later pieces are certainly eye-opening. Many are in the 1,800 to 1,900 range.
You have to figure most of those who own these tiny mintage pieces don't have them on accident. They're assembling sets, have a connection to the spouse, etc. Nobody just wandered into a Betty Ford unc at a 1824 mintage. In other words: They are in strong to very strong hands.
Assembling a set is going to be very challenging.
My only examples are Jefferson's Liberty in Proof and Unc:
--Severian the Lame
I still have the Liberty Subset in burnished I bought from the Mint. I also gifted a Jefferson proof to my son.
I "divorced" my First Spouses years ago, thankfully.
I always thought of them as bullion.
Double agree on bullion, bless the bullion content “cause it ain't beauty or brains that got you here” to the majority of the designs.