By Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez for Coinweek …….
Two new coins honoring President Richard Nixon and First Lady Patricia Nixon were unveiled by the United States Mint at the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California. The golden-colored Presidential $1 coin featuring Richard Nixon and the $10 First Spouse Gold Coin bearing a portrait of his wife were presented to the public during the special event held on March 16, 2016, which would have been Pat Nixon’s 104th birthday.
Ed Nixon, the younger brother of the 37th president, spoke about his sister-in-law Patricia, whom he called a “first lady of the first order.” He added, “let’s never forget, she was one great lady.” U.S. Mint Chief Counsel Jean Gentry remarked that “the First Spouse coins are made of 24-karat gold, [which is] clearly reflective of the value these women played as they stand alongside their husbands.”
While the two coins were unveiled at the Nixon Presidential Library on March 16, both the Richard Nixon Presidential $1 coin and Patricia Nixon $10 First Spouse Half-Ounce Gold Coin were already available to the public and have been offered for sale by the United States Mint for sometime now. Business-strike examples of the Nixon Presidential $1 coin were released in bags, rolls, and boxes on February 3; proofs were offered in the annual annual Presidential $1 Proof Set less than two weeks later.
Uncirculated and proof specimens of the Patricia Nixon First Spouse Gold Coins were offered for sale on February 18. Early in March, the Richard Nixon 2016 Presidential One Dollar Coin and First Spouse Medal Set was offered for sale, providing buyers with the opportunity to purchase not just the Nixon dollar but also an affordable rendition of the Patricia Nixon design that appears on the half-ounce gold coin.
The Nixon Presidential Dollar and First Medal Set is sold by the U.S. Mint for $9.95 while the three-coin 2016 Presidential $1 Proof Set sells for $17.95. The Patricia Nixon First Spouse gold coins are available for $795 in uncirculated condition and $815 in proof. Business-strikes of the Richard Nixon dollar from the Philadelphia or Denver Mints can be bought in 25-coin roll quantities for $32.95, in 100-coin bags for $111.95, or 250-coin boxes for $275.95. The annual United States Mint Proof Set is scheduled for sale on April 1, while the release date for the 2016 Uncirculated Coin Set is yet to be determined.
Barring any unforeseen legislative or executive actions to honor President Jimmy Carter on the Presidential $1 coin, the Nixon dollar is the third-to-last entry among the popular dollar coin series. The Presidential $1 coin program was authorized by law in 2005 and debuted in 2007, honoring deceased presidents in the order of their service. During the first year, Presidents George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison were commemorated on the coins. Following Nixon, the last two Presidential $1 coins slated for release this year will pay tribute to Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan.
