This is an absurd claim by 2 NY politicians...

Yes it does. But $9.95 vs $1660 in price. I dont see a crime here..its $9.95.....can't even buy some bread and milk for that. This is supporting American Crafstmanship at some private mint who makes these for NC Mint who is just a marketer. Maybe Sunshine Mint strikes these. In person I am sure the Buffalo Replica looks a little different. But its a nice medal for $9.95. Very little profit margin in that...they are taking a hit hoping you will bite on the other dozen offers flashed before you when you order.

 

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On the reverse it says 'God Bless America' across the ribbon the eagle is holding.

It also says 'Republic of Liberia' on the eagle's perch. What fool would think this is U.S. legal tender when it says 'Republic of Liberia' on the coin? Many countries including the Republic of Liberia use a Dollar as their unit of currency.

Also, it looks like the seal of the Republic of Liberia is on the eagle's chest. Again, what fool would think this is U.S. legal tender? Obviously, the two smart New York Congressmen, Rep. Jerrold Nadler and Sen. Charles Schumer do.

I see this case dismissed.

 

There may be someone who is confused. But that same person is confused by anything...a simple bill at the doctors office, etc etc. Should a company be punished for that? Especially when the end result is not death or harm...but only a nice medal or NCLT for $24.95.

 

Seems that the design is a little different now, and does not even pretend to be a coin from any country. http://www.nationalcollectorsmint.com/images/products/17747_lg.jpg

Christian

 

There are 3 different coins using the same obverse: The First Responders; FBI; and Liberia.

 

The nanny state alive and well! We have to protect the stupids cause they might think they are buying one ounce of real gold for only 40 bucks?

I might buy one because of all the hype?

 

Ah yes, found the "Liberian" piece at their website. Well, the inscription "Republic of Liberia" may be a little hard to read, but NCM does certainly not hide that info from potential buyers. Tasteful? Nah. Deceptive? I don't think so.

Christian

 

Okay I went for the 2011 Buffalo Proof Tribute Copy from NC Mint. It was $9.95...a bargain IMO. The upsell is a 4 ounce pure silver version which is where they are making the profit. But in any event I like medal so I ordered the base metal and pure silver versions. The quality is OUTSTANDING. The NC Mint bashing needs to stop. The only thing cheap is the display case. For $9.95 the medal is an absolute steal. Very professionally struck. This is a VERY valid alternative to paying the $1500 for the real deal. (Though I like both I consider these apples to oranges...they aren't substitutes) See the pics!

 

You may be right, but I balk at "Imos". I may not be able to afford the real deal, but I sure as heck don't want anyting in my collection that has "copy" stamped on it.

 

Since I collect coins and exonumia...copies are something I enjoy.

 

These postings remind me of a friend who got into coin collecting. He went for all these types of coins and lost hundreds. Here is something I wrote for beginner collectors and I'll put it again here for others. Most of you may already know some of this, but for those new to collecting and investing, it might be helpful. Feel free to add to it.


The Two Toned Coin.


The Two Tone Coin
It all depends on what you want. When I started collecting a few years ago, I had no clue where to begin. My number one question I asked myself was, is the coin even real? I thumbed through countless of coin and currency catalogs offering shiny gold and silver coins for outrageous prices. Other ads included two - tone gold and silver dollars. I later found out these coins are considered to be “altered” because they were not minted that way. Anytime anyone adds something to a coin after it left the mint is considered altered. Take for example would be The 2010 American Silver Eagle two-tone coin offered by the World Monetary Exchange company. They offer a genuine brilliant silver dollar with Lady Liberty on the obverse and the eagle on the reverse, clad in 24kt gold. At first glance it looks like a great deal. Only $49.00 In truth this coin will probably be worth less than that in the long run. (The silver content at most) When companies add their own “art” or clad one precious metal with another, it seriously undermines the value, not to mention the original art work. It would be one thing if the US Mint produced such a coin, but they never have. Don’t be fooled. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still worth it’s silver content, but the additional gold doesn’t add to the actual value at all. It’s just another marketing ploy in my opinion. At best I would consider it a specialty item. Since not everyone collects those types of coins. But if you personally like a coin like that and you enjoy it, then I see no reason not to buy it. If however you are looking to maybe sell a particular coin like that at a future date, remember stay away from two-tones! Unless produced by an authorized government mint, my suggestion is stay away.

Did you see that gold coin for only $29.95?
Anytime a coin company offers a gold coin and it seems to good to be true it most likely is. There are a few key words to watch and listen for when you see these commercials on television. When they say a genuine 20 dollar gold coin clad in 14 milligram 24k gold, that means all they have simply done is cover the base metal of the coin with 14 milligrams of gold, to give it that “gold look” who knows what metal is actually used underneath.

 

That seems to constitute fraud, if not outright counterfeiting.

 

I strongly disagree.

By that thinking, no one would have any laws against fraud. Referring to someone as a "total idiot" is no defense for someone committing fraud; anyone duped by deceptive practices - such as putting "ONE DOLLAR" on a medal - as not an idiot, they're a victim of fraud.

 

but NC Mint ads state that the items are plated, copies, etc....couldn't be more clear. If at that point a consumer doesn't know what plated means and thinks they are getting valuable gold for $19 then the company is not to blame. I am sure there are plenty of non coin collectors who buy US Mint proof sets direct thinking they will be worth tons of money one day. I don't see lawmakers complaining about that in articles.

As you can see in my pics you are getting a work of minting art for $9.95...amazing quality...something to enjoy. We are not talking $1600...but $9.95. Collecting is about fun...not how much will it be worth.

 

They are not charging more than $19 for clad pieces...the $29.95 for the clad standing WTC coin is for the extra production cost needed for the stand up part...it is actually a complex piece. People collect altered coins that have a topic of interest to them from a brand they enjoy. Not always worth only the metal content.

 

And for $19.95 today I received this masterpiece from NC Mint. NO they are not scamming people. They are selling a WELL MADE replica of a $1600 coin for $19.95...big difference. They even made an attempt at an exquisite edge mark. To not have the original Augusta St Gaudens models to work with, they did an excellent job with the sculpting. At the end of the day, all the customers are doing is paying a reasonable price for a well made product. It doesn't matter if its an investment or not. The quality of these pieces is every bit as good as a modern proof set...for a cheaper price. The profit margin on these minted in USA (very important to me) items is much less than an Apple Ipad, I-phone, or any household item bought at the grocery store. I don't see the government attacking Windex for claiming their product is better than so and so's...therefor influencing someone to purchase. The NC Mint has a full money back 60 day return policy...what coin dealer will offer that without grumbling? The US Mint has a fantastic 7 day return policy. Don't get me wrong...I also purchase most products issued by the US Mint...except for the commems with designs I don't care for. Modern US Mint items do not have much investment potential either except rare items like NP Bullion Coins...which dealers sell for MUCH more than bullion value ( I dont congress bashing that either). The certificate along with the NC Mint copies could not be more explicite about the content of the coin/medals. I would also expect a copy of a gold coin to have gold plating...big deal its not meant to scam anyone..its just for the aesthetics.

 

I'm not saying these coins are not worth anything. All I am saying is I have seen people buy these expecting big returns. I suppose in the end it is their own fault they did not do the research. But this brings me to what I witnessed at the coin shop today. I was in purchasing a silver eagle when an elderly lady walked in with about 30 ike clad dollars and about 50 peace dollars! she said are these worth anything? i looked at the 2 coin reps behind the counter and before I could get one word out, one guy told her the clads weren't worth anything, which is true, however on the peace dollars he told her they were only worth a dollar. She said/asked " i suppose these old peace dollars are only worth a buck? the bank won't take these and I don't suppose no store would. I started to say.. Exuse me but the silver in your peace dollars..." both reps shot me the evil eye and again the one rep said your peace dollars are only worth a buck, but it does have 40% silver. so basically they paid face value for some great peace dollars and in my opinion were very dishonest about the real value and what she could have gotten for the peace dollars.. they didn't even offer her the info on spot melt prices nor offer to buy them for that or below.... I walked out and sat in my car and told my fiance what just had occured....I while having a cigarette the one rep who told her the peace dollars werent worth anything came out of the store and gave me the evil eye again as he walked by. I would have offered her a better deal than that!!

 

Actually, what the POLS are asking an investigation for is the claim the metals used to make these gaudy things actually came from Ground Zero.

I don't believe it did, and the claim is used only as a sales tactic, albeit a deceitful one.

 

The claim about the silver being from WTC is correct. It sounds good but having silver from WTC is no big deal...there is plenty of silver running around from there and the amount used for plating is a fraction of one silver eagle.

If someone buys these types of items and brings them in a shop asking how much they are worth...thats their problem of not collecting becuase they like them...they only care about making some money. These same people buy proof sets from the US Mint expecting big returns. BUT some of the more interesting NC Mint tributes do bring a premium over issue price on Ebay...which is not always the case...but its not a default "worthless" like coin dealers tell the person that walks in. With a little effort and a good Ebay listing they may very well make a profit. I purchased a replica 1936 proof set, solid silver version, for $49 from NC Mint. One sold on Ebay for $350. Plus the WTC with the FBI reverse which were pulled from the ad in question sell for a premium too. Blanket statements about value do not apply, its all about who, when, where.

 

What proof do you have that this is correct?