bigjarofwasps

Millions in gold and silver recovered from WTC

Updated Wed. Oct. 31 2001 7:37 PM ET

CTV News Staff

As part of the recovery operation at the World Trade Center in New York, a Toronto-based Bank of Nova Scotia has reclaimed more than $250 million in gold and silver from ground zero.

The precious metals were locked away in a vault at 4 World Trade Center.

"I think we have most of it. I'm not sure we have all of it yet,'' Mayor Rudolph Giuliani told reporters Wednesday.

Armoured cars were seen on Wednesday heading to and from the site. Guiliani later confirmed that the vehicles were carrying the treasure.

Bank of Nova Scotia spokesperson Pam Agnew declined to offer any details about the removal effort.

"For safety and security reasons, I don't want to give away any details that could put people's lives at risk,'' she said.

Agnew did say that bank officials were always confident that the buried treasure was safe.

The precious metals were buried under millions of tonnes of wreckage when Building 4 collapsed along with the twin towers on Sept. 4.

The eight vault employees who kept watch over the gold and silver before the attacks escaped unharmed.

The recovery of the gold and silver has now cleared the way for the complete demolition and cleanup of the Building 4 site.

I bet those Nigerian spammers are behind it !!!

"I have 50 000 000 in gold salvaged from the WTC... send me your bank account number... blah...bla...blah..."

Chris thats very sharp, well done!!!

Look closer and you will find that it's a 1 pound (12 troy oz's) coin. Today's spot price for silver is 13.32 so bullion price of 12 oz's is about $159 cap that off being a proof and these punders are more uncommon drives up the price.

Then again here comes my rant bear with me: Some UK ebayer's think $1 = 1 english pound.

No worries coastie, its good to have a rant now & again, it clears the air, and getting things off your chest keeps the old blood pressure down...

But getting back to the coin, I have since been advised that because this coin is listed as proof, and clearly doesn`t have a mint mark, then it isn`t a US mint coin. I`ve been informed that there are loads, of private mints within the US that are knocking this stuff out. I suppose they may have used the same methods as the US mint to get the proof finish, but its all down to collecting needs in the end really. I`d rather have a pukka mint marked one myself, but there we go.

Coin News January 2005 reported….

Although we understand that the US Congress may be considering issuing a coin to commemorate the tragedy of September the 11, 2001 no official designs have yet been seen, However, an enterprising private mint has produced a “coin” which bears the denomination `one dollar` and is purported to be struck using silver salvaged from the remains of the ill fated Twin Towers. Apparently these items are neither legal tender nor, it would seem are they made from silver genuinely rescued from the disaster! The New York Attorney General is considering prosecuting the Port Chester mint and has obtained a temporary restraining order prohibiting the sale of these coins. A number of unofficial medallions and other souvenirs have been produced by various get-rich-quick private mints in commemoration of September 11 but this is the first to carry a denomination which of course is illegal.

2001

WTC Recovery Ground Zero

$100

AMERICAN PLATINUM EAGLE

Only 5 of these coins exist!

ONE FULL OUNCE OF PLATINUM!

There seems to be no shortage, of these coins dispite, claims by Ebay sellers. I`m not sure just how genuine they are?

I`ve also discovered gold $50`s all alledged to be from the WTC...

2001

WTC Recovery Ground Zero

$50 AMERICAN GOLD EAGLE

1 OF 269

Only 269 of these coins exist!

ONE FULL OUNCE OF GOLD!

and by the same dealer...

2001

WTC Recovery Ground Zero

$50

AMERICAN GOLD EAGLE

Only 24 of these coins exist!

ONE FULL OUNCE OF GOLD!

Not sure how there can be both only 24 and 169 of this 2001 $50 coin, maybe someone with a greater knowledge could shine some light on this....

And theres more....

WTC RECOVERY

1991

$50 AMERICAN EAGLE GOLD COIN!

One Ounce Pure Gold!

PCGS MS69

I`ve been unable to find anything on the net reporting the salvage of all these coins, or how many have been recovered of both gold & silver and what years, does anyone know?

Hey buddy, wanna buy a piece of Ground Zero?

The National Collectors Mint is marketing a new commemorative silver dollar that, to me, seems repugnantly morbid.

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. It's the U.S. territorial minting of the 2004 "Freedom Tower" Silver Dollar from CNMI. Each coin has been clad in .999 Pure Silver recovered from Ground Zero!

The coin's detail page goes on to explain more of the story:

No, this is not a misprint. The silver used in each gleaming dollar coin is from Ground Zero! You see, when the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, a bank vault full of .999 Pure Silver bars was buried under hundreds of tons of debris. After months of salvage work, many of the bars were found. Now, the same silver that was reclaimed from the destruction has been used to create the magnificent 2004 “Freedom Tower” Silver Dollar.

During the EPA cleanup of the World Trade Center site, recycling "was done with the eye that we didn't want materials to show up on eBay as souvenir items." New York state law bans street vendors from operating within five blocks of the World Trade Center site. But these attempts, and plenty of others, of course haven't stopped the merchandising of Sept. 11.

As for these Collector's Mint coins, I agree with the sentiment: "We will never forget." But the somber reminder is belied by the company's opportunism, and most of all by the repellent marketing. "The silver used in each gleaming dollar coin is from Ground Zero!" Sorry, that's just not a sentence you can end with an exclamation point without disgusting me. Act now! Collect 'em all! Make me puke.

The private National Collector's Mint trades off of people assuming it's somehow related to the official mint of the U.S. government. And it probably goes without saying, but according to the U.S. Mint website: "Congress did not authorize the National Collector's Mint product, and the United States Government does not endorse it."

Hi Guys found this whilst surfing the net, thought it might be of interest...

We have a rare opportunity to own a piece of history that has touched our own lives. There are few Americans who do not remember exactly where they were on the morning of September 11, 2001. Those of us who were able watched the events of that day and we will never forget the fate of the planes and the twin towers. We have all watched the clean up at ground zero and the events that have led our troops into Afghanistan. Those who have wanted some connection to September 11 have acquired all sorts of memorabilia but until now nothing that came right from the source.

Because of the total devastation of the twin towers there is virtually nothing left. The few items that have been salvaged will be part of the memorial at the site of the former towers. But remarkably there was a Comex vault located in the basement of the World Trade Center that contained around two hundred million dollars of gold and silver bullion that survived.

On the night of November 1, 2001 as the work proceeded on the ground zero clean up the workers made there way to the vault and with little fanfare a caravan of Brinks armored trucks hauled the bullion to another Comex vault. Some of the silver eagles and a small amount of gold was sent directly to the Professional Coin Grading Service. These coins were sealed in their patented tamper resistent holders with a certificate of authentication certifiying that the coin is one of the few that was excavated from the World Trade Center site.

To hold one of these coins in your hand gives you a very strange feeling. This is an artifact from one of the biggest events of the century and one that touches so many people intimately. We were fortunate to pick up just a handfull of these extremely popular coins and are able to offer them to you.

Gem Uncirculated 9-11-01 World Trade Center Ground Zero Recovery Silver Eagle Certified Authentic by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), the number one grading service.

Hi Guys,

Thats really cool thanks. I think its great that people out there, are aware that they had relatives that fought in this war, and that they haven`t just been forgotten!!!!

My family fought for the King, during the English Civil War....

Gordon.

A soldier died after being injured in a roadside bomb attack in Basra. The soldier, from the 4th Battalion The Rifles, was evacuated for medical treatment after the blast hit a British forces patrol returning to base. The next-of-kin were informed.

It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Major Paul Harding from 4th Battalion The Rifles in Basra City on Wednesday 20 June 2007.

Major Paul Harding, a company commander in the 4th Battalion The Rifles, died after coming under mortar fire on the Provincial Joint Co-ordination Centre in Basra.

Major Harding had served in the army for 30 years

Maj Harding, 48, who lived in Winchester with his wife and two sons, had served as a rifleman for 30 years.

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Sanders, said: "The Rifles lost one of its most senior, long-serving and admired riflemen, and the country lost a veteran soldier of deep personal integrity, professional excellence, wisdom, experience and simple decency."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6227978.stm

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceN...illedInIraq.htm

Cheers Dave, I`ll give those sites a bash. Thanks very much. I don`t think for one minute, that I`ll be related to any of these Caldecott`s, but it was interesting to see the family name had taken part none the less, and on the winning side.. Damn rebels...

Hi Guys,

Anyone out there into the American Civil War?

I was surfing the net, and discovered that 3 guys with my surname served during the war, all with New York Regiments, I was wondering is it possible to research them, or have the records long since been lost.

1

Caldecott, Chas. H.

Union

Infantry

159th Regiment, New York Infantry

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2

Caldecott, Frederick

Union

Cavalry

13th Regiment, New York Cavalry

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3

Caldecott, Joseph

Union

Cavalry

5th Regiment, New York Cavalry

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gordon.

Thought this might be of interest.....

Grading classifications...

Uncirculated coins are new coins that have never been in circulation. Coins may have been stored for many years in original Mint sealed bags, or stored in bank wrapped rolls, or carefully preserved by collectors. As a result, Uncirculated coins exhibit no wear from general circulation. Depending on contact they may have had with other coins and atmospheric conditions during or after coining, blemishes, bag marks and toning may be present. Uncirculated coins may lack luster and still be considered Uncirculated. Because Uncirculated coins represent greater quality and scarcity, they carry higher values. Uncirculated grades range from MS-60 Typical to MS-70 Perfect. Most Uncirculated coins range from MS-60 to MS-63+, as very few coins meet the technical standards for MS-65 or higher. It takes years of experience to become an expert at the grading of Uncirculated coins. Littleton's veteran buyers have developed great expertise in purchasing and grading Uncirculated U.S. coins.

Proof coins are made by special process using carefully selected coin blanks and dies, which are meticulously polished and burnished to remove any and all imperfections. The coin blanks are hand-fed into a specially adapted coin press, and are struck twice - at slow speed and with extra pressure - to produce high-relief features contrasted against deep mirror-like surfaces. The dies are polished frequently, and are replaced after only a limited number of strikes. The finished Proof coins are inspected to rigid standards, handled only with gloves or tongs, and specially packaged for delivery to collectors.

U.S. Mint Shifts Silver Proof Eagle Production to West Point Mint

Washington, D.C.,-- The U.S. Mint today announced it is shifting production of the Proof Silver Eagle from the Philadelphia Mint to the West Point Mint for the launch of the 2001 Proof American Eagle Coins.

"As part of the Mint’s commitment to continuous improvement, we felt it was time to integrate and consolidate production of all the Proof American Eagle Coins at one facility," said Mint Director Johnson. "The entire family of Eagles - gold, platinum and silver - will now be manufactured at the West Point Mint, where we’re renovating and expanding our production facilities."

"The modernization program we’re pursing will ensure continuous process improvement in the production of the highest quality proof precious metals products," said Associate Director for Numismatics David Pickens. "We’re anticipating a great deal of interest in the 2001 W Mint mark Proof Silver Eagle, so we’ve raised the mintage level to 750,000 coins this year."

The Mint plans to continue striking the Silver Proof Eagle at West Point in the future. Uncirculated American Eagle Bullion Coins will continue to be manufactured at the West Point Mint with no Mint mark. Silver Proof Eagles were produced at West Point on only one other occasion, for the 1995 Anniversary Set, which contained one-ounce, half-ounce, quarter-ounce and tenth-ounce proof gold coins and a one-ounce proof silver coin (30,125 of those sets were sold).

The Mints

United States Philadelphia Mint Facility

The nation's first mint provides a wide array of coins and manufacturing services. Like the Denver facility, Philadelphia makes circulating coins of all denominations, commemorative coins as authorized by Congress, and produces the dies for stamping coins and medals. Philadelphia manufactures the "P" mint mark portion of the uncirculated coin sets. In addition, the Philadelphia Mint employs the elite team of sculptor-engravers who are entrusted with creating designs and sculptural models for the production of all the Nation's coins and medals.

United States Mint at San Francisco

The United States Mint at San Francisco plays an important role in our nation's coinage. Although it does not currently produce circulating coins, it is the exclusive manufacturer of regular proof and silver proof coin sets that set the standard for numismatic excellence with their brilliant artistry, fine craftsmanship and enduring quality.

West Point Mint Facility

Located near the U.S. Military Academy in New York state, the United States Mint at West Point manufactures the entire family of American Eagle proof and uncirculated coins in gold, silver, and platinum. The gold and platinum coins are manufactured in denominations of one-ounce, half-ounce, quarter-ounce and tenth -ounce. Silver bullion coins are manufactured in one-ounce denomination.

Erected in 1937 as the West Point Bullion Depository, this was originally a storage facility for silver bullion and was nicknamed "The Fort Knox of Silver." From 1973 to 1986, West Point produced cents, and in 1980 began striking gold medallions. Shortly afterward, approximately 20 billion dollars worth of gold was stored in its vaults, making it second only to Fort Knox for gold storage. Today, it is also the major producer of gold coins.

The red letter date for West Point was March 31, 1988, when it gained official status as a United States Mint. Today, it is still a storage facility, but also manufactures, packages and ships gold and silver commemorative coins, and American Eagle Bullion coins in proof and uncirculated condition. Its Platinum Eagles have been very popular since their first issuance in 1997. In 2000, it struck the first ever Gold and Platinum Bi-Metallic Coin.

American Silver Eagle

The American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States. It was first released by the United States Mint on November 24, 1986. It is struck only in the 1 troy oz denomination which has a nominal face value of one dollar and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of .999 pure silver. It is authorized by the United States Congress and its weight and content is certified by the United States Mint. The American Silver Eagle bullion coin may be used to fund Individual Retirement Account investments. The United States Mint also produces a proof version for coin collectors. The Silver Eagle has been produced at three mints. One is the Philadelphia mint, and some of those issued there carry a "P" mintmark. In the early years of the series, the San Francisco mint issued proofs and these bear an "S". More recent proofs are from the mint at West Point, New York. The latter have a "W" on the reverse.

The design on the obverse has been borrowed from the "Walking Liberty" design by Adolph A. Weinman, which was originally used on the United States' half-dollar coin from 1916 to 1947. This was probably the public's favorite design on any United States silver coin; hence the choice of this design for the Silver Eagle. The reverse portrays a heraldic eagle and was designed by John Mercanti.

Value

Mintages, and thus prices, of uncirculated and proof specimens have varied widely, and the potential collector is advised to check a standard reference book before buying them. Generally the business strikes have minted in the millions, while the proofs were issued in the hundreds of thousands. Thus, most dates are not particularly expensive ($15-$20 each), although some of the early 1990s proofs sell for over $100. Also, the special 1995W issue (30,125 sold) is worth several thousand dollars. The 2006 Silver Eagle 20th Anniversary boxed set, with uncirculated, proof, and the previously-unreleased reverse proof pieces, had a maximum mintage of 250,000 and quickly sold out from the Mint at a catalog price of $100. As of May 2007 it is selling for over $500.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Silver_Eagle

Lance Corporal James Cartwright, 21, of Badger Squadron, 2 Royal Tank Regiment, died after his Warrior armoured vehicle rolled off a bridge in the As Sarraji area, south of Basra.

Lance Corporal James Cartwright was killed in a Warrior accident

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel David Catmur, said he was a "professional soldier" and a "renowned character".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6761735.stm

American Eagle Silver dollar

American Eagle Silver dollars coins have been produced each year by the United States government mint since 1986

The American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States. It was first released by the United States Mint on November 24, 1986. It is struck only in the 1 troy oz denomination which has a nominal face value of one dollar and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of .999 pure silver. It is authorized by the United States Congress and its weight and content is certified by the United States Mint. The American Silver Eagle bullion coin may be used to fund Individual Retirement Account investments. The United States Mint also produces a proof version for coin collectors. The Silver Eagle has been produced at three mints. One is the Philadelphia mint, and some of those issued there carry a "P" mintmark. In the early years of the series, the San Francisco mint issued proofs and these bear an "S". More recent proofs are from the mint at West Point, New York. The latter have a "W" on the reverse.

Peace Silver Dollars

These same three mints also began production of Peace silver dollars in 1921. Their mint marks (except for coins minted in Philadelphia) are located underneath the word "ONE" next to the eagle on the coin's reverse. These coins were designed by medalist Anthony DeFrancisci to commemorate World War I and were minted until 1935. Peace dollars were actually struck again in Denver in 1965 but were never released to the public. All were melted and none from this date have been preserved.

Mint Marks

Morgan Silver Dollar

(Weight is 412? Grains and .900 Fine Silver)

1878-1921

The Morgan silver dollar was named for its designer George T. Morgan, who placed an M on both sides of the coin to lay his claim. These coins were minted from 1878 until 1904 in the Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Carson City mints. Letters signifying the mint of the coin (commonly referred to as a mint mark) were stamped on the reverse side of the coin underneath the branches on which the Eagle sits. Only Morgan silver dollars coined in Philadelphia have no mint mark.

The coins were discontinued in 1904 after the government exhausted its supply of silver bullion. In 1918, Congress passed the Pittman Act and recalled over 270 million silver dollars for melting. The silver dollar gained new life in America in 1921 and in that year the Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver mints coined the last Morgan silver dollars.

Found this thought it might be of interest........

The United States has minted dollar coins, on and off, since 1794. The coins have been made of many substances, gold, silver, copper, nickel, brass, zinc, & manganese. Certainly, the most popular, among the general populous and collectors alike, is the US silver dollar. If you are interested in collecting other US coins, visit our US Coin Collecting and US Coin Grading pages.

As a rule, the composition of the US silver dollar is 90% silver and 10% copper (to add strength and durability). The actual silver weight (ASW) is .7736 troy ounces. There was a brief period of silver dollar production when the silver content was upped slightly to compete in foreign markets, but this coin, known as a Trade Dollar, was never intended for domestic circulation. The last circulating silver dollar coins minted in the 1970s contained only 40% silver to 60% copper nickel.

During the early years of US coinage, silver was at least as scarce as gold, and at some times, it was even more valuable. Mintage's in the early years were very limited due to this scarcity of silver. There was a break in production in silver dollars of some 32 years from 1804 till 1836. Silver was just too scarce and too valuable. It was not until the finding of the "Comstock Lode" in 1850 in Nevada that large quantities of silver dollars could be produced. Even this huge silver find eventually played out. This resulted in another large gap in silver dollar production as the mint ran out of silver in 1904. It was not until after the huge melt of 1918 that silver dollar production was resumed in 1921. By 1926, this silver pool also was running low. Production quantities shrunk until they were again suspended in 1928, resuming only for two years in 1934-5.

Starting in 1986, the US mint began producing the Silver Eagle dollar coin which is 100% silver totaling a full troy ounce. This however is not a circulating coin as the silver content is worth at least 5 times as much as the face value. In the early years, when the silver content was more valuable then the face value, hoarding occurred. However, the value of a dollar up until the mid 1960s was historically significantly higher than the value of silver.

Silver dollars have been minted at six locations including;

Philadelphia 1793-present - Flowing Hair, Capped Bust, Sitting Liberty, Trade, Morgan, Peace, Eisenhower, Silver Eagle (no mint mark or 'P')

New Orleans 1846-1904 - Sitting Liberty, Morgan('O' mint mark)

Carson City 1870-1893 - Sitting Liberty, Trade, Morgan('CC' mint mark)

San Francisco 1859-1992 - Sitting Liberty, Trade, Morgan, Peace, Eisenhower, Silver Eagle ('S' mint mark)

Denver 1921-1934 - Morgan, Peace ('D' mint mark)

West Point 1995, 2001-present - Silver Eagle ('W' mint mark)

Without question, the most popular collectable US silver dollars are the Morgan 1878-1921, Peace 1921-1935, and Silver Eagles 1986-present. These are the most readily available and (relatively) inexpensive of the collectable silver dollars. Approximately a billion of these coins have been minted.

There are several key dates and hard to acquire coins in this grouping. The most prominent ones are the 1889 and 1893 Carson City, the 1893, 1895, and 1903 New Orleans, the 1893, 1894, and 1895 San Francisco and the 1893, 1894, 1895, 1899, 1921 and 1928 Philadelphia, also the 1995 West Point. There are three of these coins that are particularly difficult to find and quite pricey. The 1893 'S', the 1895 'P' and the 1995 'W'. Of these, the 1895 'P' is a rare bird indeed, commanding an impressive $11,000 in only 'Fine' condition. The 1893 'S' commands a staggering $250,000 price in its highest grades.

Gordon,

I've never seen this one. Not legal tender, but it is an ounce of silver. Probably a private venture for profit or a commemorative of some type. It does have a nice "proof" finish. I have a few of this type from North or South Dakota with a buffalo featured on the obverse. Again, they are buried somewhere.

Cheers Jim, I thought as much

I need to get them out and review what I have. I've gotten into the habit of buying them and just putting them away. I will probably never be rich, so it's something I can leave to the kids.

You & me both!!!

Gordon.

Jim,

My mistake it is in fact a silver quarter, but still an ounce of silver? Have posted a few pictures on my silver dollar thread, and a look and see what you think.

Gordon.

Jim,

Here`s the Wisconsin silver quarter, I was telling you about....

Gordon.