9/11 commemoration

[Ixion]

So last night, while browsing channels, a commercial came on for a "Commemorative $20 coin certificate". The commercial was probably 45 seconds to 1 minute long, and offered a limited print certificate struck in ".999 pure silver leaf". To me, it seemed, at minimum, in bad taste to try to profit off of the tragedy of 9/11. The announcer pointed out that the front of the certificate displayed 9 and 11 which add up to 20, which is on the back and (not coincidentally) what they were charging for the item.

They highlighted that one side featured the old twin towers and the other the new Freedom Tower that will be built at the old World Trade Center site. The company (National Collector's Mint, which is in no way associated with the U.S. Mint or U.S. Treasury, but was never directly stated out loud, only in small print at the bottom of the ordering screen) also emphasized that the certificate is genuine Liberian legal tender.

So a few problems I have, aside from the 9/11 profiteering, are:
1) Don't Liberian dollars trade for about 50:1 to the U.S. dollar? So wouldn't it be only worth about $.40? The announcer implied that the certificate was worth $20 U.S., but never directly said that.
2)Isn't silver leaf similar to silver plating? So what is this certificate really made of? My guess would be aluminum, since it is a relatively cheap metal. If it is silver plating, when it tarnished, then wouldn't the silver just be rubbed off if it is cleaned?
3)I can't remember the station the commercial came on, but I do remember it was a major cable station. It annoys me that stations continue to support products to the American public that they know are, at the minimum, misleading.

Here is the website for the product: http://www.911twenty.com/.

I appreciate being able to vent about this, even if other readers disagree with my opinion.

[Starthinker]

Complete junk, the idea and the "coin".

[rjh01]

I agree it looks like BS. Here is something on metal leaf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_leaf

It does not say it is backed by the US government, and it does say it is a private striking so I would not even call it a coin as we know it. Nothing about overseas orders, I would not touch it.

[Starthinker]

Maybe someone can educate me. If gold coins (real ones) say they are 99.9% pure or something, wouldn't .999 be like, almost nothing? So this is almost made from no silver at all? Maybe I'm mixing definitions. Just seems like it's probably just barely plated but they throw 9's at you to make you think (or the less educated think) that it's really a lot.

[balrog666]

Originally Posted by Starthinker

Maybe someone can educate me. If gold coins (real ones) say they are 99.9% pure or something, wouldn't .999 be like, almost nothing? So this is almost made from no silver at all? Maybe I'm mixing definitions. Just seems like it's probably just barely plated but they throw 9's at you to make you think (or the less educated think) that it's really a lot.

99.9% = .999 Fine. Most gold coins intended for circulation were usually minted at 91.66% pure (22 karat) or .900 Fine. Some modern bullion coins are .999 Fine.

But I'm sure it's plated in 99.9% gold - perhaps a few milligrams worth. Which means it has all the comparative value of any pretty picture you print on your own color printer.