September 11th Commemorative Coins
This week, not unexpectedly, the news and current affairs television programming is awash with memories and lessons from 9/11. On this the tenth anniversary of one of the events that changed the world, buysilver.org looks at three coins that have been issued to commemorate the tragedy and heroism of that day.
The Good: US Mint’s 9/11 National Medal
This medal was unveiled back in June, with an issue price of $59.95. The price rose to $66.95 on August 19th.
The obverse features the Lady Liberty and is inscribed with the words ‘Always Remember 2001 – 2011’. The reverse shows the US Eagle against a backdrop of cascading water, clearly in a mirror image of the waterfalls that will form the centrepiece of the memorial at Ground Zero. The words ‘Honor’ and ‘Hope’ are engraved on the reverse, as testament to those that lost their lives, as well as the families who continue to show dignity and strength through their loss.
The coins will be minted in Philadelphia and West Point, and measure 1.598 inches in diameter. They are minted in .999 silver, and the silver content is one ounce. There will be only 2,000,000 medals minted, and each sale will donate a surcharge of $10 to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
The Bad: National Collector’s Mint 10th Anniversary World Trade Center Commemorative
Billed as an official medal to commemorate the 9/11 attack in 2001, merited an official complaint and warning to consumers from the US Mint back in February this year.
The medal itself has been well advertised, and with buzzwords like ‘government authorised: Liberian official tender’, and ‘never to be circulated’ give credence to a piece of historic worth, but should also be warnings in themselves.
It’s legal tender in Liberia because it can not be so in the USA. The US Government did not authorise its minting, and all profits are kept by the company.
To the medal itself. It features a three piece design, which allows an inset twin towers, and USS New York to be raised and inserted in the medal, which is used as a platform. The medal is ‘clad’ with 24 Karat gold, and the towers and USS New York are clad in 0.999 silver. The coin is double dated, 2001 – 2001. The weight of precious metal is a combined, nd extremely miserly, 0.28milligrams, which is why National Collector’s Mint makes a huge profit on its sale price of $29.95.
The Ugly: Coins of America’s 9/11 Commemorative’s Coin
Coins of America sell this commemorative coin as ‘the flagship’ of its September 11th ten year anniversary products.
The reverse features Lady Liberty against a background of the Stars and Stripes, with the words ‘One Nation Under God Indivisible With Liberty And Justice For All’ inscribed around the outer ring.
The obverse is adorned with an Eagle sitting behind the USA shield with three stars depicting the attacks on the Pentagon and the Twin Towers, and the United Flight 93 tragedy. There are ten stars arched around this emblem, representing the ten years passed since the Terrorist attacks. The words ‘Always Remember’ and ‘United We Stand’ are inscribed on this side.
Even the Coins of America website does not state the materials with which the coin is manufactured, but it has to be said that the accompanying picture makes it look as if it has been made from either plastic, or some iron alloy. It does come in a tri fold commemorative folder that contains a load of facts about the events on September 11th, and Coins of America states that a ‘portion of the product proceeds is donated to charity’. This charity is “Hometown Heroes”. It doesn’t say what portion of the $19.95 sale price it donates.
