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Caroline Harrison First Spouse Gold Coin
First Lady, 1889—1892

2012 Caroline Harrison Gold Coin Obverse
Obverse
2012 Caroline Harrison
Gold Coin

2012 Caroline Harrison Gold Coin Reverse
Reverse
2012 Caroline Harrison
Gold Coin

Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison was born October 1, 1832, in Oxford, Ohio. She enjoyed painting for recreation, including china painting, which became one of her passions when she taught ceramic painting at her church. Along with her German teacher, Paul Putzki, she taught china painting classes. The classes were made up of Washington wives and daughters. She painted a "White House Orchid" with water colors and dedicated it to "mothers, wives, and daughters of America." She decorated White House candlesticks, milk sets, platters and other pieces, as well as those owned by women in Washington wanting a White House memento. Her signature was a tiny four-leaf clover.

As first lady, Caroline Harrison began the effort to organize pieces of past Presidential china still in the White House into a systematic collection for later display. She uncovered, identified and tagged china, grouping pieces together for eventual public display. She had a china cabinet made to display all past Presidential china she found.

Reverse Design

The reverse represents Mrs. Harrison's love of flowers, depicting a close-up of an orchid and paint brushes.

Inscriptions

Obverse:  CAROLINE HARRISON, IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, 2012, 23rd and 1889–1892.

Reverse:  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, $10, ½ OZ. and .9999 FINE GOLD.

See the Designs
The Department of the Treasury Seal
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