On that Freedom Tower ad....

The nauseating ad that uses the tragedy to turn a tidy profit is actually a rewrite of an even more nauseating ad that made it look as if the coin were U.S. government backed and legal tender. The commemorative coin actually was originally issued in such a way that it was supposed to be legal tender in a tiny group of islands administered by the U.S. but as this court order notes the islands have no right to issue money. The original ad did not give the amount of silver in the coin. The silver could be from vaults beneath the tower since silver stored there was sold off. The company that produced the coins is based in the U.S.
Spitzer of course has since been debased and is out of circulation but the Freedom Tower ad continues to be sold!
Here is the original court order that caused the company to change its ads.

COURT ORDER HALTS SALES OF "FREEDOM TOWER SILVER DOLLARS"
Attorney General Criticizes Collectible Item as Attempt to Profit from Tragedy


Attorney General Spitzer today announced that his office has obtained a court order temporarily halting sales of a collectible item fraudulently and misleadingly marketed by a private company as a real coin issued to commemorate the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

An order was issued today against National Collector's Mint, a private company based in Port Chester, N.Y. The order halts sales of the company's "Freedom Tower Silver Dollar," which has been heavily advertised on national television and in other venues.

"This product has been promoted with claims that are false, misleading or unsubstantiated," Spitzer said. "It is a shameless attempt to profit from a national tragedy."

Beginning in September, National Collector's Mint began marketing its "Freedom Tower Silver Dollar" with a number of claims that Spitzer's office believes are improper.

First, the company's ads claim the medallion is "a legally authorized government issue silver dollar." The medallion also simulates official U.S. currency by using the phrase "In God We Trust" and the inscription "One Dollar," both of which appear on U.S. coins. The "legally authorized" claim in the ads and the official appearance of the medallion have led many consumers to complain that they were misled into believing that it was issued or authorized by the U.S. government.

Spitzer noted that the company's sales representatives have told consumers that the medallion is official legal tender. In reality, the medallion was produced by SoftSky, Inc., a private company in Wyoming, in connection with a licensing agreement with the "Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands." The 14 tiny islands comprising the Northern Marianas Islands are U.S. territory, but have no authority to issue U.S. currency.

The company's ads also claim the coin was "minted from pure silver recovered from ground zero" and that the coin is "100 Mil .999 pure silver." The lawsuit contends that the company's claims about the silver content of the medallion are misleading and create the impression that it is solid silver rather than plated in silver. In fact, Spitzer said, the silver content of the "Freedom Tower" medallion is infinitesimal compared to the silver content of a pure silver coin.

Spitzer's office maintains that these and other claims made by the company violate the state's false advertising and general business laws.

The lawsuit also seeks the following:

A permanent injunction barring the company from making false representations and from engaging in deceptive practices;
Full disclosure in all advertisements that the company's products are not issued or endorsed by the United States Government;
An accounting of consumers who have already purchased the Freedom Tower coin and an offer of full restitution to those consumers; and
Civil penalties for violations of law.
The court order was issued yesterday by State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Cannizzaro in Albany.

Individuals seeking to file a complaint against National Collector's Mint can do so by going to the Attorney General's website at www.oag.state.ny.us or by calling the Attorney General's consumer help line at (800) 771-7755.

This case is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Matthew Barbaro of the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau.
from oag.state.ny.us