Silver Coins

For a few weeks now (or more), I've been seeing commercials on television for these silver coins that I felt exploited 9/11. Apparently, they recovered some silver from a bank vault at the 9/11 site, and someone made them into coins that they're selling for $20 each. I was appalled - 9/11 isn't a breeding ground for profit! Every time the commercial comes on, it makes me wonder who would do such a thing. And who would buy it? Who wants silver coins that advertise themselves as having the sole purpose of remembering 9/11? Who wants a souvenir of a national tragedy? Who wants a souvenir of death, destruction and horror? A memorial is one thing; a personal silver coin souvenir feels incredibly wrong.

Apparently I'm not the only one rubbed the wrong way by the advertisements for these coins. The New York Times wrote an op-ed today about them titled "Five Pieces of Silver." (I think, referencing the fact, that you can buy "up to five" at a time of the coins.) Opportunism indeed. If you want to read the full story, here's the link. In case you don't already know about the coins from the TV ads, I've excerpted part of the article below. Greed and profit (even if you're donating $5/20 to charity) off of something so sensitive and tragic just feels so wrong.

Opportunists have never stopped crawling over the rubble of Sept. 11, looking to make a buck ... Consider the National Collector's Mint. "Silver Recovered From Ground Zero!" reads a fake news release from the company datelined "Thursday, 8:55 A.M." It explains: "You see, when the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, a bank vault full of .999 Pure Silver bars was buried under hundreds of tons of debris. After months of salvage work, many of the bars were found." Some of that silver, it says, "has been used to create the magnificent 2004 'Freedom Tower' Silver Dollar." The coins are yours for $19.95 each, plus $7 for shipping, handling, insurance and a "deluxe velvet presentation case." Each one is cheaper if you buy more; the limit is five per customer. "Avoid disappointment and future regret," the ad advises. "ACT NOW!"

The president of National Collector's Mint is Avram Freedberg, a prominent businessman in Stamford, Conn., and a donor to Democratic causes. The coins are sold out of an office on Slater Street in Port Chester, N.Y., about 25 miles from ground zero. Mr. Freedberg's lawyer insists that his client is honoring the dead. He says the company gives $5 from each sale to the Bear Search and Rescue Foundation, a nonprofit group that supports canine rescue units.

I agree with the Times (although I need to ask, was it really necessary to associate this guy with a political party so close to an election?) - if you're attracted to these coins because you're donating to charity, just donate to the charity directly instead. This isn't like getting your own piece of the old Berlin Wall. There's no need to collect souvenirs from a mass grave.