22 May 2008 - 9:232007 & 2008 First Spouse Gold Mintages
The First Spouse Gold Coin series launched in 2007 with much fanfare. The first two coins released sold out within the first day of sales at the US Mint. This built up anticipation for the third coin of the series, which also sold out on the first day. However, by the fourth coin of the series, enthusiasm had clearly diminished.
This post will take a look at the mintage figures (or sales figures to date) for the all of the coins released so far in the First Spouse Gold Coin series.
The table below is accurate as of May 22, 2008. The figures come from those reported by Numismaster.
2007 & 2008 First Spouse Gold Mintages
| Unc | Proof | |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 Martha Washington | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| 2007 Abigail Adams | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| 2007 Thomas Jefferson | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| 2007 Dolley Madison | 11,160 | 17,513 |
| 2008 Elizabeth Monroe | 3,910 | 6,666 |
There were numerous factors that have caused the decline in popularity of the series. I think that the primary reason is the increase in prices. When the coins were first offered fro sale, they were priced at $410.95 and $429.95 for uncirculated and proof coins respectively. The price for the latest release was $599.95 and $619.95, an increase of nearly $200.
Further exacerbating the increasing price was a recent sharp decrease in the price of gold. Even though the price of gold dropped by almost $200 per ounce the Mint did not readjust prices to lower levels. This definitely had a negative impact on sales.
Other reasons for the declining sales statistics may include: the tendency for a series to lose interest as it moves on, the appearance of other popular series such as the Bald Eagle Commemorative, and the diminishing premiums paid for the prior sold out First Spouse Gold Coins.
At the end of the day, the decreased mintages may actually present an opportunity. Everyone will recall one of the modern rarities is the 1997-W Jackie Robinson Gold Coin. This coin had a mintage of only 5,174 and is considered quite scarce today. Something to keep in mind as we watch the First Spouse Gold Series continue.
It has now been over 5 weeks since the