The Eliza Johnson First Spouse Gold Coin began the fifth year of the series honoring the First Ladies of the United States. She was the wife of President Andrew Johnson, who served as the 17th President from 1865 to 1869.
The obverse of the coin features a portrait of Eliza Johnson designed by Joel Iskowitz. The inscriptions include "Eliza Johnson", "In God We Trust", "Liberty", the order of the Presidency "17th", the dates of the term "1865-1869", the issue date and the mint mark.
The reverse of the coin is intended to represent the First Lady's love of children. It features a scene from the children's ball held for President Andrew Johnson's 60th birthday. Three children are dancing and a Marine Band fiddler is present in the background. When the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee reviewed design candidates, they believed that this option, in which the First Lady was not present, was a more symbolic representation of the event. The design is credited to Gary Whitley.
Reverse inscriptions around the outer edge of the coin include "United States of America", "E Pluribus Unum", the nominal face value "$10", the gold content and fineness "1/2 oz. .9999 Fine Gold".
Sales of the Eliza Johnson First Spouse Gold Coins began at the United States Mint on May 5, 2011. Original pricing was $929 for the proof version and $916 for the uncirculated. The maximum mintage was set at 15,000 pieces across both versions.
Coin Specifications and Mintages
Date: 2011
Mint: West Point (W)
Mintage: Maximum 15,000
Designers: Joel Iskowitz (obverse), Gary Whitely (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)