Series of gold coins to honor first ladies

The Mint tries again to introduce a 1 coin.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- For the first time, the U.S. Mint is dedicating a series of coins to the accomplishments of women -- the nation's first ladies.
Starting with Martha Washington, all of them are scheduled to be honored on a series of commemorative half-ounce gold coins that will be companions to a new series of circulating 1 coins that the Mint is producing to honor the presidents.
Mint Director Edmund Moy unveiled the designs on the first four commemorative coins at a ceremony Tuesday at the National First Ladies Library in Canton, Ohio.
"Each coin is a half-ounce of pure gold. You might say they are the presidents' better half," Moy said in a statement.
Both the presidential one-dollar coins and the series honoring the first ladies were authorized in 2005 by Congress and will start appearing next year.
The first ladies coins for next year are all coming out in May just before Mother's Day with the Mint hoping to generate sales of the coins, expected to cost more than 300 each, tied to the special day.
There will be a less expensive bronze medal duplicate of each of the coins in the spouse series offered for a more affordable 3 to 4.
Schedule of release
Four new designs for both the 1 coin and the golden first ladies coin will be introduced each year in the order the president served. All presidents and their first ladies will be honored; only those who have been dead for at least two years can appear on a coin.
The Mint is hoping that the 1 presidential coins, which will start coming out in February next year, will prove to be as big a hit with the public as the popular 50-state quarter series.
It will be the third time in recent history that the Mint has tried to introduce a 1 coin. The Susan B. Anthony dollar in 1979 and the Sacagewea in 2000 both proved to be failures.
Information about the new coins, including how they may be purchased, is available at the Mint's Web site, www.usmint.gov or by calling (800) USA-MINT.