2009 First Spouse Bronze Medal Set Sold Out

The 2009 First Spouse Bronze Medal Set has recently sold out at the United States Mint. This set contained all five of the First Spouse medals issued for last year.

The sets were first offered for sale at the US Mint on December 3, 2009, which means the set had a relatively short offering period of about six months.
Each set contained the 1- 5/16 inch bronze medals for Anna Harrison, Letitia Tyler, Julia Tyler, Sarah Polk, and Margaret Taylor. The designs of the medals are taken from the corresponding First Spouse Gold Coins, but with some inscriptions removed.

An interesting aspect to this set was the pricing. Effective March 18, 2010, the US Mint increased the prices of the individual First Spouse medals from $3.50 to $5.50 each. However, the five medal set remained priced at $15.95, making it seem like a bargain relative to the higher individual prices.

At the time of the price increase (and currently), three of the five First Spouse medals issued during 2009 still remained available for sale individually. These are the medals for Julia Tyler, Sarah Polk, and Margaret Taylor. After the pricing change, collectors could have purchased the full five coin set for less than the cost of the three individual coins.

Compared to other bronze medals produced by the US Mint, the First Spouse medals have been offered for a more limited time period. Some of the humanitarian/cultural medals have remained available for years and some of the Presidential medals seem to be available indefinitely.

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