Candidate designs have been unveiled for next year’s 24-karat gold coins featuring former First Lady Nancy Reagan. Mrs. Reagan would be the first living person to appear on a U.S. coin since the commemorative 1995 Special Olympics Silver Dollars depicted Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The one-half ounce, $10-denominated issues will also mark an end to the United States Mint’s series of First Spouse Gold Coins.
Like past releases, product options will include collector qualities of proof and uncirculated with each coin struck at the West Point Mint. Candidate designs include 11 portraits of Nancy Reagan and 9 scenes emblematic of her life and major initiates as first lady while Ronald Reagan served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. (See the recommended Ronald Reagan $1 designs.)
Mrs. Reagan saw each design and favored portrait design #1 and reverse design #9, which highlights her "Just Say No" drug awareness campaign.
All 20 designs have also been looked at by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and the Commission of Fine Arts, two bodies tasked with reviewing U.S. coin and medal designs. Portrait design #1 is the clear choice after making minor enhancements to the hair and soothing the features around the eyes.
CCAC members voiced their support in honoring Mrs. Reagan’s selections but they also suggested re-working candidate reverses #4, #5, #8 and #9 and then bringing them back for everyone to review. An idea for #5 was to show Nancy Reagan’s hand against that of a child.
Here are images of the proposed designs. They may be enlarged with a click.
Obverse Design Candidates
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Reverse Design Candidates
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