Obverse. Image Courtesy of Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS.com)
  • 10 Dollars 2009, KM# 456, United States of America (USA), First Spouse Program, Anna Harrison
  • 10 Dollars 2009, KM# 456, United States of America (USA), First Spouse Program, Anna Harrison
Description

The Nation’s First Ladies are being honored on a series of one-half ounce 24 karat gold coins. The coins are considered numismatic items and have a nominal face value of $10. Typically, four different designs are released per year featuring the spouses of the Presidents in the order served. The First Spouse Gold Coins represent the first time that the United States Mint has featured women on a consecutive series of coins.

The program was authorized under Public Law 109-145 The Presidential $1 Coin Act. In addition to authorizing the Presidential Dollars series, which features the former Presidents in the order served, the law also provided for the issuance of gold coins featuring the President’s spouses.

For Presidents who served in office with a first and second wife, two gold coins are issued for the Presidency. For Presidents who served in office without a spouse, a depiction of Liberty is presented on the obverse of the coin for four instances, with Suffragist Alice Paul depicted for the final instance.

The obverse of each First Spouse coin features a portrait of the spouse being honored. The reverse design of each coin contains images emblematic of the spouse being honored. Some of the reverse designs so far have included memorable scenes from the spouse’s life, or images representative of their major contributions, themes, or accomplishments.

Obverse

Depicts a portrait of Anna Harrison. The inscriptions include “Anna Harrison”, “In God We Trust”, “Liberty”, the order of the Presidency “9th”, the year of the Presidential term “1841”, and the mintage date “2009”.

Anna Tuthill Harrison (née Symmes; 1775–1864) was the wife of President William Henry Harrison, mother of John Scott Harrison, and paternal grandmother of President Benjamin Harrison. She was nominally first lady of the United States during her husband's one-month term in 1841, though never entered the White House. At age 65 at the start of her husband's presidential term, Harrison was the oldest woman ever to assume the role of first lady, a record held until Jill Biden became first lady at age 69 in 2021. She also has the distinction of holding the title for the shortest length of time, and the first first lady to be widowed while holding the title. Harrison was the last first lady to have been born in British America.

Design: Donna Weaver (DW)
Modelling: Joseph Menna (JM)

ANNA HARRISON
IN GOD
WE
TRUST
LIBERTY
2009
W
DW JFM
9th 1841

Reverse

Depicts a scene of Anna Harrison reading to her three children. She educated her own children and started two schools with her husband in Indiana and Ohio. The inscriptions include “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, the denomination “$10”, the gold content “1/2 oz.”, and the gold purity “.9999 Fine Gold”.

Design: Thomas Cleveland (TC)
Modelling: Charles Vickers (CLV)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
TC CLV
• E PLURIBUS UNUM • $10 • 1/2 Oz. .9999 FINE GOLD •

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Gold
Fineness 0.999
Weight 15.554 g
Diameter 26.5 mm
Thickness 1.88 mm
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Mint
West Point Mint (W)

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