(2020) First Spouse Bronze Medal - Barbara Bush

Coin Details

Auction Record

$299 MS70BN 02-04-2022 eBay

Description

The Barbara Bush bronze medal honors a First Lady who was one of only two women in American history to be both the wife and mother of a president, sharing that distinction with Abigail Adams. Barbara Pierce Bush married George H.W. Bush in 1945 and raised five children, including future president George W. Bush, while her husband pursued careers in business, politics, and intelligence. The obverse, designed by Elana Hagler and sculpted by Joseph Menna, portrays a woman whose trademark white hair, three-strand pearls, and self-deprecating humor made her one of the most popular First Ladies in modern history. Barbara Bush was refreshingly candid about her appearance, once joking that her resemblance to George Washington was the reason her husband was elected. The reverse, designed by Elana Hagler and sculpted by Ron Sanders, references her lifelong dedication to literacy, which became her signature cause as First Lady from 1989 to 1993. She founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy in 1989, which has awarded millions of dollars in grants to literacy programs nationwide. Her advocacy was rooted in her belief that literacy was the foundation for solving most other social problems facing America. Barbara Bush died on April 17, 2018, and this bronze medal was issued in 2020 as the program neared its conclusion. It represents one of the final issues in the First Spouse Bronze Medal series. Struck at 1-5/16 inches in bronze.

Rarity Notes

Produced at the Philadelphia Mint during 2020 with open mintage. As one of the later issues in the series, the Barbara Bush medal was struck during a period when collector interest in the program had matured.

Cross References

PCGS #890920; companion to First Spouse Gold $10