What is this coin, or rather... is it what I think it is? Hmm. From their website: Now it's no big secret that Sunshine Minting was COINING the Norfed Rounds/Dollars. But given Sunshine Minting's very significant relationship to the US Mint, this detail prominently posted on their website is very surprising to me. Isn't that abit like a licensed pharmaceutical company selling serious drugs on the side, to street-dealers? And brazenly advertising that, after a scandalous event? And that imbroglio didn't jeopardize the US Mint contract for all those AGE and ASE planchets they're supposedly still making for Uncle Sam??! I'm baffled by this: Sunshine Minting made the "illegal" Norfed coins, obviously. Did von NotHaus work for/with Sunshine, as a DBA? Did they cop a plea in the investigation ("We'll book whatever foreign planchets you want to call US product, chief!") ... or, where's the loophole here? http://www.fbi.gov/charlotte/press-releases/2011/defendant-convicted-of-minting-his-own-currency >>3/18/2011: STATESVILLE, NC—Bernard von NotHaus, 67, was convicted today by a federal jury of making, possessing, and selling his own coins, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Following an eight-day trial and less than two hours of deliberation, von NotHaus, the founder and monetary architect of a currency known as the Liberty Dollar, was found guilty by a jury in Statesville, North Carolina, of making coins resembling and similar to United States coins; of issuing, passing, selling, and possessing Liberty Dollar coins; of issuing and passing Liberty Dollar coins intended for use as current money; and of conspiracy against the United States. The guilty verdict concluded an investigation which began in 2005 and involved the minting of Liberty Dollar coins with a current value of approximately $7 million.<<
the loophole may be that there is no face value printed on them, so they cant be considered a coin. so thus maybe thats why its not against the law
I'm not sure that I agree with this definition. The Krugerrand, long accepted as a coin, has no face value.
papermoney54- I don't understand your confusion. No, NotHaus was found guilty of "of making, possessing, and selling his own coins {...} resembling and similar to United States coins; of issuing, passing, selling, and possessing Liberty Dollar coins; of issuing and passing Liberty Dollar coins intended for use as current money; and of conspiracy against the United States." See the FBI link, above. There's no question about that (whether you or I agree with the verdict: different issue!) My point : it was Sunshine Minting that actually made the coins. At the very least, wouldn't that make them accomplices to the counterfeit operation? I also suppose they copped a plea but don't know what terms were. Hmmmm. Isn't it fishy their contract with the US Mint wasn't cancelled afterwards, though? "Just call this bullion we deliver you 'US Gold' and we'll forgive the bad" LOL And it's downright hilarious that Sunshine Minting is using those counterfeit coins in its own online advertising. I'm surprised no one here ever noticed that before.
Juan, the whole Sunshine Mint thing is fishy. They probably gave evidence / testimony for immunity and profit. I honestly did not know they minted the Norfeds until reading your post.
Took me a minute to find it, but that picture is actually on their web site. Sunshine Mint probably pays plenty of taxes and has stockpiles of available silver, a good participating member of the system unlike that rebel Von NotHaus. If anybody is going to get punished it's going to be the individual, because that is the most effective deterrent. Corporations on the other hand have money to get at.
Sunshine mint was also raided and the Liberty dollars they had made were confiscated. I'm not sure what happened other than them being raided and the items confiscated. The info is a few paragraphs down on this page. https://sites.google.com/site/libertydollarencyclopedia/
PeacePeople- Yes, that information was in a link I provided on another thread, and widely elsewhere. Three locations in Coeur d'Alene were raided on 11/15/2007 http://www.spokesmanreview.com/tools/story_breakingnews_pf.asp?ID=12398 Two (2) were Coeur d'Alene accounting firms, one was Sunshine Minting @ 750 W. Canfield where (I suppose) ALL the coins were warehoused. Some articles describe a "partnership" but the article above says SM was "under a contract with" - well, that's a quick change, LOL SM obviously manufactured the coins; articles report they stored the coins too. Did they distribute as well? >>"We never refer to the American Liberty as a coin," von NotHaus told The Spokesman-Review in 1999. "The word 'coin' is a government-controlled term. This is currency that is free from government control."<< See you're all wrong: it wasn't a "coin" ... because NutHouse said so! LOL okaaaaaaay.... Really, what system is that LOL. "Sunshine Mint" was on the Anti-defamation League's 'watchlist' over ten years ago; see "Patriots for Profit: Rogues Gallery." A certain demographic knows this subtext very well. Hayden Lake is the Aryan Homestead, a tiny town with an enormous role in the White Identity Movement (or as the RAND Corporation put it succinctly, "first truly nationwide terrorist network.") Fishy, indeed. Is it a total coincidence those folks (nationwide) are also the biggest audience for this product? Nah. Evansville IN and Hayden Lake ID. Sorry - I'm not a fan of such places, or the NorFed either. Also: NotHaus/Sunshine Minting blatantly exploited Ron Paul, without ANY permission to "use" him for their business. At least you cannot say the US Mint doesn't respect other peoples' freedom of opinion, to do business at those margins. I wouldn't.
These political conspiracy theories about counterfeiting bigots would seem to be off topic for the bullion investing forum.
Wonder what the jury was told, about who's buying these 'not-coins.' Jury expressed zero sympathy for Mr. NotHaus or his "bullionist" project, right quick! And 14% of Buncombe County's Repubs voted for Ron Paul 5/8/2012 - the 2nd highest of anywhere in NC. Asheville is Ron Paul country. This certainly does sound like a conspiracy theory - that doesn't mean it's false. There's more here than meets the eye... >>"A unique form of domestic terrorism" is the way the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Anne M. Tompkins, is describing attempts "to undermine the legitimate currency of this country." The Justice Department press release quotes her as saying: "While these forms of anti-government activities do not involve violence, they are every bit as insidious and represent a clear and present danger to the economic stability of this country."<< http://www.nysun.com/editorials/von-nothaus-appeal/87371/
