The Martin Van Buren's Liberty First Spouse Gold Coin represents one of the four issues of the "Liberty subset." These coins feature depictions of Liberty from classic United States coins for instances in which Presidents served in office without a spouse. It seems likely that this issue will have the lowest overall mintage of the subset.
Sales officially began at the United States Mint on November 25, 2008. The Van Buren's Liberty Gold Coin represented the final release of the series for the year and the eighth release of the series overall. Pricing was set at $549.95 and $524.95 for the proof and uncircualted versions, respectively. This represented a decreased level from the prior release, due to the lower market price of gold. Ordering limits were set at ten coins per option per household.
The obverse of the 2008 Van Buren's Liberty Gold Coin features the design which originally appeared on the Liberty Seated Dime, minted between 1837 and 1891. The obverse inscriptions include "Liberty", "8th Presidency", "In God We Trust - 2008", the dates of the Presidential term "1837-1841", and the mint mark "W". The obverse was designed by Christian Gobrecht.
The reverse of the coin features a young Martin Van Buren reading a book under a tree. In the background is the tavern operated by his family in Kinderhook, New York. The reverse inscriptions include "United States of America", "E Pluribus Unum", the denomination "$10", and the gold content and purity "1/2 oz. .9999 Fine Gold". The reverse was designed by Thomas Cleveland and sculpted by Jim Licaretz.
Sales of the Martin Van Buren's Liberty Gold Coin ended on December 3, 2009. Out of a maximum authorized mintage of 40,000, the US Mint recorded sales of 7,515 proofs and 4,334 uncirculated coins. The total of 11,849 was lower than the prior Andrew Jackson's Liberty coin, but still above the next previous release featuring Louisa Adams.
Coin Specifications and Mintages
Date: 2008
Mint: West Point (W)
Mintage: 7,515 (proof), 4,334 (uncirculated)
Designers: John Reich (obverse), Justin Kunz (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)
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US $799.00
