A sunny day last week allowed us all to recall one of the darkest days in American history. Some might argue that day came 84 years ago at Pearl Harbor in Japan when the Japanese attacked the anchored Pacific fleet that sunny Sunday morning on December 7. On that, “day of infamy,” over 2,400 Americans lost their lives. Or, it could have been three years later on the beaches of Normandy. That June morning marked D-Day when the US entered the war in Europe. That day, just over 2,500 US soldiers were killed trying to land on the beaches....
The most recent anniversary marked the event experience by most people alive today – the air attacks in New York City, Washington, DC and United 93 flight that crashed in Shanksville, PA. On that sunny day, almost 3,000 Americans lost their lives. Additionally, according to the World Trade Center Health Program, 9,000 more have subsequently died due to complicating conditions directly related to the downing of the Twin Towers.
Controversially, soon after the 9/11 disaster, a few companies began hawking collectibles, specifically coins, they claimed were related to the attack. Naturally, the ill-timed nature of these offerings was inappropriate. Some companies went so far as to claim “a portion of the proceeds would go to help victims and their families.” Did they?
Several of the firms also claimed to have used gold or silver retrieved from Ground Zero in the coins or medals. Also, doubtful. Reliable reports are that all gold and silver coins and bullion bars stored in vaults at the Twin Towers site were recovered. There were a number of coins belonging to other countries including Canada’s Nova Scotia. Most all of those were returned to those countries.
A very small percentage of recovered coins were submitted to major grading services such as PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service). Those were authenticated, graded and encapsulated (slabbed) with special American flag labels to designate their origin. Even most of those now trade for less than $100 or so depending on the coin’s denomination.
As I said, some advertisements for “Ground Zero” coins or medals have said they are struck with gold or silver from the site. In reality, numismatic detection shows most of these private pieces contain simple base metals such as copper barely coated with a microscopic layer of gold and/or silver. As such, the actual precious metal value is less than 50-cents.
Certainly, anniversaries such as 9/11 are worth noting, maybe even numismatically. It just depends on how the occasion is honored and at what cost?
In 2002, barely a year after 9/11, the US Postal Service issued a “Forever” stamp featuring the memorable photo of firefighters raising a flag on a makeshift pole at Ground Zero. The 37-cent stamp was exceptionally popular and issued in unlimited quantities. To this day, one of the stamps can be purchased from hobby shop dealers for 50-cents to $1.00. To date, no 25th anniversary stamps have been announced by the USPS.
Not so for the US Mint. It just announced an unlimited quantity of the newly designed Semiquincentennial half-dollar coins are being struck with a special “Privy Mark” on the face.
The Privy Mark appears on the obverse directly in front of the face of the Statue of Liberty and to the left of the words, “IN GOD WE TRUST.” The mark is circular with the words, “ALWAYS REMEMBER” at the top and bottom and the date, “9-11-01” on the inside in the middle.
Privy Marks have long appeared on issues from other countries but are relatively new to US coins. They have most often appeared on special strikings of commemorative issues intended primarily for collectors. Also, the quantities issued are usually quite limited making them possible to increase in value in the future.
The number being struck is different with the new 50-cent pieces now being sold by the Mint. Because the quantities are unlimited they will be readily available to everyone. They are being sold in rolls of 20 coins or bags of 100. None are being produced in a highly polished “proof” condition or sold in special presentation boxes. That certainly helps to keep the cost down.
As for the cost, for two rolls it is $40. That comes to $1.00 per 50-cent coin. The 100-coin bag sells for $100 so those also come to $1.00 per coin.
In truth, that may be splitting hairs. A buck is a small price to pay for special coins saluting a very special anniversary. Actually, handing out individual coins from a roll or bag to local firefighters and other first responders in a nearby town or community could make for a very nice appreciative and commemorative gesture. Just a thought at this time of national remembrance. More information about the coins can be found at www.USMint.gov.
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