WTC Recovery Silver Eagle

JapanJohn

Just received my World Trade Center Recovery Eagle in the mail. This was a tough one for me as I couldn't decide whether to get this coin or not. I actually gave it quite a bit of thought.

I'm aware there are some who believe it's in poor taste however, I've been to Iraq twice, and more recently Afghanistan as well. Also continued return trips to both countries is almost a certainty. So I at least think I've earned my opinion on the matter.

I have had American Flags flown by Harrier and EA-6B squadrons in both Afghanistan and Iraq. I intend to mount this coin in the Flag display case of one of the flags (with it's accompanying certificate from the flying squadrons).

Anyway, I think it's a cool addition to a collection for a guy who collects Silver Eagles, and who has been involved directly on several occasions in the War on Terror.

John

WoodenJefferson

Hang it proudly...some would say and they probably will that there is no way to prove that the silver that was recovered from "ground zero" is actually in that coin..doesn't really matter to me what they say, nice piece of history...sentimental value and numismatic value.

Collect what pleases you,

kudos

notwilight

John,
Very cool and your rationale is well said. I envy you in many ways.

thanks for your what you've done for all of us.

Now, if you happen to find a priceless relic on your next trip you can cash it in and buy this.

--Jerry

JapanJohn

Jerry,

I'm not much of a relic collector but I do take tons of photos. One of my favorite is a painting of a MIG on the side of a hanger which says below in Arabic "Saddam is the Light of All Arabia". I won't post it here because it's a coin forum.

I appreciate the kind words but I always tell everyone to reserve the kind words for the great men and women of the US Armed Forces who are over there living it. It's true that I go there, live how they live, eat what they eat but I'm a civil servant who rolls in and does a requested job and then leaves. The real people who deserve the thanks are there right now. I was active duty during the whole Desert Shield thing on the USS Eisenhower so I've been there and done that as well.

I'm going to be real pleased to see this coin hanging in my flag case. It's a great testament to my work and my hobbies. Anyway, nobody but me has to like it.

I've sure enjoyed about 19 or so years of Peace and paychecks and if Uncle Sam needs me in Iraq and Uncle pays for the ticket........I'm there. It's my pleasure and honor.

John

swest

I personally think it is very cool to have this coin in your collection. I plan to get 2 of them myself when the moment is right. I am assembling an eagle set for both my 2.5 year old and myself. When he is twelve and wants to start hitting coin shows, I want him to specifically ask me about this coin and what it means - because it is important.

I just haven't got to those coins yet but see them as a must have. I mean seriously, those coins in that holder symbolize a lot more about what a Silver Eagle is and why it is special, then all the rest. I realize that people market these and make money on them but that is life. I know a guy that used to strickly buy Purpose soap because of what it meant to him lol.

This coin and holder would mean a lot to me.

So enjoy it for what it means to you.

Swest

CoinResource

Bless you and your friends for protecting our freedom...

Tootawl

There has been a lot of discussions about these WTC Recovery coins. I have one and proud to have it in my collection.

Hyperion

I have one I keep with a bag of irradiated mail from the Anthrax days (I live in NJ on one of the mail routes where the carriers got subcutanious infections..) + newpapers articles from the post attack days....

Dave99B

John -

First of all, thank you for your great service to this country. You should be very proud.

I personally would never want to own any souvenir from the WTC. I would never want a ‘keepsake’ to remind me of that terrible day. I’d want a coin from that site as much as I’d want a shoe from a young secretary who lost her life on that day. I just don’t understand the attraction. But that’s just me.

But it sounds like you’ve thought this through, and given your service, I sort of think it makes some sense.

Again, AMERICA commends you for your service.

Dave

FoundingFather

Hell yeah you've earned the right to have an opinion on it. Enjoy that coin!

hiijacker

my uncle recovered his watch and grandmothers enagement ring from the safety deposit vault at a bank in WTC tow years after 9/11/2001. You would not belive what these items look like. The gold watch expanded after melting, into a funny shape, which he will frame, and the engegement ring is completly black, but can be cleaned and restored.

DCAM

John,
Thanks for your service. Like you I also have the coin which I am proud to own. It is not a personal item like a shoe perhaps but just a coin that was in a safe in the towers during a special moment in time. Liberty on the front, with the sunrise represents the spirit of the USA, we will remember and will adapt and overcome.

PerryHall

<< <i>I personally would never want to own any souvenir from the WTC. I would never want a ‘keepsake’ to remind me of that terrible day. I’d want a coin from that site as much as I’d want a shoe from a young secretary who lost her life on that day. I just don’t understand the attraction. But that’s just me. >>



Dave---I don't understand. How is an ASE like stealing a shoe off a dead body? Please elaborate.

DNADave

Well, here's my 2 cents.

I was activated after 9-11 just like everybody else in the military. My wife went into premature labor from it all and I bought 4 of the coins when I learned about them. They represent a difficult time and provide a solid link in my mind to those events. I think its better that they were saved and labeled as opposed to being melted.

Pentimento

<< <i>Dave---I don't understand. How is an ASE like stealing a shoe off a dead body? Please elaborate. >>



I can't speak for Dave, but I sort of understand his comparison. For me, a coin like the peace dollar is a symbol, a reminder of a time in American history-- a nation tired of war, optimistic, yet strong enough to head back to Europe only a couple of decades later. No one can change how the coin makes me feel, even if they certify that my specific coin was actually in the hands of a POW as he was shot in 1943.

I will never forget 9/11, and a 2001 ASE will always remind me of the attack. I don't need someone to go in and pick out one from the grave site for me. My imagination and memory are stronger that-- strong enough that no TPG can impact them. But that's just me. I have no problem with John's choice at all because he comes from a very different set of circumstances.

Dave99B

Dave---I don't understand. How is an ASE like stealing a shoe off a dead body? Please elaborate.

Huh? I don’t believe I said it was like ‘stealing a shoe off of a dead body’. Maybe you misread my statement?

My point is, for me, any artifact from that horrific day is something I would not care to purchase and own, be it a brick, and piece of paper, a shoe, a coin, whatever. That’s just me. But I surely would not condemn anyone else seeking this material.

Dave

Michigan

Relics from famous events are an interesting collectable area. Proving that they actually date to specific
times and places can be tricky.


I remember reading that right after Lee surrendered to Grant that union soldiers took the table and chairs that they used as mementos of the event. Who knows whatever happened to them.

WoodenJefferson

Pieces of the "Berlin Wall" are treasured keepsakes for those who were oppressed for so many years. Just concret, but it meant separation from East/West Germans. Owning a piece of history can be calming to the soul, so an event in your lifetime can be cronicled with something that you can touch & see.

JapanJohn

Dave998,

I really appreciate your comments and understand totally what you mean. First time I saw one of these coins I thought it was in bad taste, and then like I said, I thought about it long and hard.

My life changed radically after 9/11. I lived in Iwakuni Japan about 5 miles from the base and I had to walk to work or ride a bike (uphill both ways.....in the rain) because they literally only let 1 or 2 cars on base an hour. Traffic was horrific. My office was on the flight line and the Marines passed a "No Civilians on the flight line rule". So I'd walk 5 miles to work only to not be able to get there.

Fortunately one of the COL's I knew asked me why I wasn't getting the emergency class taught they tasked me to teach. I told him why. Problem solved.

I went to Guam right after that with a flying squadron (huge airbase, no fighter cover). Since then it's been one support effort after another for the War on Terror. It's just what my organization does. I spent 3 years at 29 Palms CA where they teach the ground guys to fight in conjunction with the air guys and we have the largest expeditionary airfield in the world out there.

Anyway, I can TOTALLY understand why someone wouldn't want one of these and your analogy was real good. It is kind of a snatch and grab from a horrible day in American history. I certainly wouldn't want a hunk of iron or rubble from the WTC mounted on my wall but somehow I can deal with this because of what it is and that it's something I collect.

Who knows? Someday I may look at it and think "this isn't right" and at that point I'll get rid of it. But for now I feel safe in thinking that it's not a problem for me.

Thanks for the comments all. I still don't feel like I do anything but my job (which I'm paid well for) and the guys and gals who do this deserve the credit. All I do is run over there and install visual landing aids. The longest I was in Iraq was 3 weeks once. Pales in comparison when you sit down for lunch next to some Army kid who is on his 2nd 1 year tour and just extended involuntarily.

John

Bigjarofwasps

<< <i>Hang it proudly...some would say and they probably will that there is no way to prove that the silver that was recovered from "ground zero" is actually in that coin..doesn't really matter to me what they say, nice piece of history...sentimental value and numismatic value.

Collect what pleases you,

kudos >>




I believe that these coins aren`t made from silver recovered from the WTC, but were in fact dug up from a vault under the WTC during the recovery process.

fcloud

Display it proud -- Thank you for your service to our country!