Coins proclaim, "In God We Trust." I say, careful who you trust.
U.S. National - AP
AP
Court Halts Sale of September 11 Coins
2 hours, 59 minutes ago
Add to My Yahoo! U.S. National - AP
By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press Writer
ALBANY, N.Y. - New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer obtained a
court order Wednesday to temporarily suspend the sale of commemorative
Sept. 11 coins advertised as being minted from silver recovered at
ground zero.
Spitzer said the sale of the silver dollars — emblazoned with the
World Trade Center towers on one side and the planned Freedom Tower on
the other — is a fraud. He's investigating whether the silver actually
came from the ruins of the twin towers.
"It is a shameless attempt to profit from a national tragedy," Spitzer
said. "This product has been promoted with claims that are false,
misleading or unsubstantiated."
Spitzer said the National Collector's Mint, based in Port Chester,
N.Y., falsely claims that the coins engraved with "In God We Trust"
are legally authorized silver dollars.
Spitzer said the coins, produced by a Wyoming company called SoftSky
Inc., are advertised as nearly pure silver when they're only
silver-plated.
TV and print ads for the coins include one fashioned after a news
story that reads: "Today, history is being made. For the first time
ever, a legally authorized government issue silver dollar has been
struck to commemorate the World Trade Center and the new Freedom Tower
being erected in its place ... Most importantly, each coin has been
created using .999 pure silver recovered from ground zero!"
The dollar pieces are being sold for $19.95 each.
In a statement released Wednesday, the National Collector's Mint stood
by the accuracy of the ads.
"Our many repeat customers demonstrate the quality of our products and
the integrity of our company," the statement read.
Tom Conway, head of the state's Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau,
said an investigation into the company began with consumer complaints
and a referral from the U.S. Mint, which issued a notice on its Web
site that the coin "is not a legally authorized government issued"
product.
The temporary halt on sales is pending a civil suit filed by Spitzer
in state Supreme Court. Spitzer seeks civil penalties, restitution to
those who bought the coins, greater consumer disclosure and full
disclosure that the coins aren't endorsed by the federal government.
The company sells a variety of novelty coins, including those with
characters from the "Harry Potter (news - web sites)" books and
movies.
___
New York attorney general's office: http://www.oag.state.ny.us
--
satyr #1953
Chairman, EAC Church Taxation Subcommittee
Director, Gideon Bible Alternative Fuel Project
Supervisor, EAC Fossil Casting Lab
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