I’m one of the dwindling number of people who remembers watching Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the moon in 1969. That year, I saved and pasted every newspaper page and headline of the landing in a scrapbook. I carefully kept newspaper pages of the lunar event confident they would soar in value. Most every kid my age did the same. We were sure we would profit from our clippings down the road.
As we learned, when it comes to collectibles of value you need two things: rarity and demand. Today, some 50 years hence, moon landing newspaper clippings such as mine are abundant. So much for rarity. Worse, no one wants them. No demand. Our dreams of riches evaporated.
I thought of that last week when I learned of a new $100 “coin” being minted celebrating the physical recovery of our president Donald Trump from Coronavirus....
It was being sold by the White House Gift Shop. Not that it matters but this shop isn’t in the actual White House or even affiliated with any president. Rather, it’s an online enterprise that sells items affiliated with the presidency. Profits from the sale of items go to supplying and supporting law enforcement agencies.The scope of what the gift shop offers is nothing short of staggering. In addition to the aforementioned coin, those interested in items presidential include everything from cufflinks, golf balls, flags, blankets and glassware to tactical wear, flight jackets, magnets, keepsake boxes, paperweights, Christmas ornaments and Easter eggs.
They also sell an array of bobbleheads. Literally, everyone from James K. Polk and Hillary Clinton to Donald and Melania Trump sell for $29.95 each in bobblehead form. That brings us back to the $100 “coin” being issued to commemorate Donald Trump’s Covid recovery.
First, it’s essential to understand what defines a “coin.” It is something that is officially issued by a government. It also must have a denomination and be spendable to make it “legal tender.” The Donald Trump Coronavirus “coin” being sold may cost $100 but it is not being made or sold by the US Mint and is not spendable. Ergo, it is not a coin. Rather, it is a token. So, what’s the difference? To collectors of coins, a lot – especially when it comes to probable future value.
Tokens a.k.a. medallions can be an interesting memento of an event. For years, presidents have given visitors and state dignitaries presidential tokens as gifts. Some are even passed along via a “secret” handshake. The White House Gift Shop also offers a token commemorating Trump’s visit to the Korean DMZ with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. They are colorful. But, to the millions of coin collectors, they are still tokens – a whole different category.
The reverse design on the 1971 Eisenhower dollar coin was made to celebrate the moon flight. So too for the design on the 1979 Susan B. Anthony dollar coin 10-years after the landing.
Admittedly, the lunar landing was a Herculean event. The computers and electronics in the Apollo 11 space craft were far less advanced that what we all have in our current smart phones. It was mind boggling and countless tokens were produced to honor the astronauts, moon flight, landing and recovery. But, at the time, only one coin was created for the event. This year, a clad, silver and gold coin was struck to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that mission.
This has nothing to do with politics but, in fairness, it is a stretch to compare the moon landing with someone recovering from Covid-19 at Walter Reed Medical Center. It’s also a stretch to refer to the items as the same caliber of “coin” that collectors seek and will pay dearly for in the future. (Another company is selling a “Space Force” modified $2.00 bill for $30. But that’s a whole other column.)
No different than the bobbleheads, cufflinks or golf balls, the Trump Covid Recovery medals are nice keepsakes for some – perhaps even a few coin collectors. Based on past experience, just don’t look for them to soon soar in value or be included in numismatic price guides in the future.
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