Keep an eye on those low mintages

Nothing seems more hopeless than a new coin series in which the average hobbyist has lost interest.

The First Spouse half-ounce gold coin program is just such a program.

Perhaps that means now is the time to bottom fish. The future of First Spouse coins on the secondary market will be heavily dependent on where gold goes over the next few decades, but even in the shadow of precious metals, mintages will sooner or later have an impact.

The 20,000 mintages for both proof and uncirculated Martha Washington, Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson pieces will probably forever be common – just so much bullion in an attractive numismatic package.

However, the sales of First Spouse coins that we are currently going through are the wives of Presidents that Americans have long forgotten. This is what yields opportunity.

The Julia Tyler coin goes on sale Aug. 6. She is the second wife of John Tyler, who served in office 1841-1845. Before this program I didn’t know he had two wives.

See? The educational mission is being performed.

But back to my point. So far only 1,517 uncirculated first wife Letitia Tyler coins have been sold.

That’s darn few.

If numbers continue to fall in this neighborhood for the First Spouse coins of the Presidents just before Lincoln, when the inevitable revival of interest occurs for the 16th President, there might be a pleasant pop in interest for these low-mintage pieces, too.