National Collector's Mint
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The National Collector's Mint is a company based in Port Chester, New York that produces novelty commemorative coins. Notable recent coins include replica 1933 gold Double Eagle coins and a 2004 coin representing the World Trade Center and proposed Freedom Tower. Despite some claims made in their advertisements, the company does not produce coins that are legal tender in the United States; that role falls to the United States Mint alone. The coins produced will typically be legal tender in a small Caribbean island or other cash strapped countries that receive payment for the designation.
Sales of the Freedom Tower coins were halted by a court order in October 2004 at the request of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The company had claimed that the coins were made using silver collected from the destroyed World Trade Center after the September 11, 2001 attacks, but many believe the company's claim is fraudulent. In any case, it is a widely held public view that exploiting the 2001 attacks is disgraceful.
As of August 4, 2006, the sale of the Freedom Tower coins have resumed via low-grade television commercials with the company still claiming that they are minted with silver from Ground Zero.
"Investors" who buy products from the National Collector's Mint will lose money as their products are priced considerably over spot value. For example the replica gold Double Eagle mentioned above currently sells for $39.99. While the coin has no metal value. They will also take American Silver Eagles paint them and sell them for double their actual value ruining any actual value the coins had to begin with.