# Silver Salvaged from the WTC? (Shudder) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496 "2010-12-27T05:40:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/21 "2010-12-28T07:54:00Z")
> [@taffygirl](#): > > So now I’m curious about these bank vaults. I know vaults are built to withstand a lot, but the collapse of skyscrapers? I’m not doubting this happened, just curious as to how. \< snip\> Human beings aren’t made to withstand much of anything, but some of them survived the collapse more or less intact. Kind of gross and creepy to think about but still true. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/22 "2010-12-28T07:56:27Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > These are different from the coins in the OP, but some 911 coins are certified by PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service. Looking them up, they’re just a company that grades coins for a fee and aren’t universally liked in the coin collecting community. > > [This](http://www.wtc911coins.com/about/) site says these particular coins were actually there on 911, recovered, and are being sold. According to this site, when the vaults were reached during the cleanup, the coins were loaded into Brinks trucks and driven straight to PCGS’s parent company, Collectors Universe Inc, where they were put in individual capsules with a copyrighted flag insert to show they were from WTC, and they were later brought to market. > > Ok, a government agency had vaults at WTC containing precious coinage. They dug this out of the rubble and gave it to a coin grading company to sell? Was there a “finders keepers” law in effect during the cleanup? The one I own is one of these. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/23 "2010-12-28T19:26:29Z")
I still have to question the fact that the silver in the vault belongs to the first person that found it. What right does this company have to it? ---
**Author:** ![taffygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@taffygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taffygirl)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/24 "2010-12-28T21:22:49Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I still have to question the fact that the silver in the vault belongs to the first person that found it. What right does this company have to it? That’s what I want to know. There are well-established standards when it comes to salvaging at sea; as i understand it, if your ship goes down carrying the modern-day equivalent of a treasure chest full of gold doubloons, and I go to the wreck and risk my booty to bring up the booty, then I am entitled to a reward but not necessarily the doubloons. Why would it be different here? If my house burned down, and you went in and found my unharmed flat screen TV (assuming I had one), would you get to keep it? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/25 "2010-12-28T22:53:40Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > they were put in individual capsules with a copyrighted flag insert to show they were from WTC I don’t see how copyrights enter into it. Wouldn’t you want some kind of certification? ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/26 "2010-12-29T00:18:32Z")
I found [this](http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=4247545) discussion on a coin forum which might shed some light on how the contents of a government vault made it to the open market. The first reply has a link to another discussion that may be of interest too. This is related to the coins that I mentioned, not the OP coins, but it’s still related to the vaults. I don’t see anything to indicate that the contents of the vaults were loaded on Brinks trucks and sent to Collectors Universe. More likely, it was sent to the rightful owner and CU got the coins from them either from buying them or making a deal to help release them, it’s not entirely clear. If the coins from the OP are truly from the WTC, they probably followed the same route. The metals probably went to the rightful owner and later made it to market somehow. There probably was no “finders keepers” going on at WTC. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/27 "2010-12-29T00:20:58Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I still have to question the fact that the silver in the vault belongs to the first person that found it. What right does this company have to it? I don’t know who said that it was a finders-keepers situation. Perhaps Collectors Universe Inc had an outstanding agreement to purchase the coins as soon as they were recovered? (I mean it’s not like it was a surprise that they came across those coins; presumably the vault owner had an inventory and knew what they expected to find.) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/28 "2010-12-29T00:59:58Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > I found [this](http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=4247545) discussion on a coin forum which might shed some light on how the contents of a government vault made it to the open market. The first reply has a link to another discussion that may be of interest too. This is related to the coins that I mentioned, not the OP coins, but it’s still related to the vaults. > > I don’t see anything to indicate that the contents of the vaults were loaded on Brinks trucks and sent to Collectors Universe. More likely, it was sent to the rightful owner and CU got the coins from them either from buying them or making a deal to help release them, it’s not entirely clear. > > If the coins from the OP are truly from the WTC, they probably followed the same route. The metals probably went to the rightful owner and later made it to market somehow. There probably was no “finders keepers” going on at WTC. This would be the correct answer. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/29 "2010-12-29T01:39:36Z")
Since Jews control all the money, and since the Jews orchestrated 9-11, they simply removed all the money BEFORE the attacks 😃 ---
**Author:** ![taffygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@taffygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taffygirl)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/30 "2010-12-29T01:42:29Z")
Fubaya, thanks for the link–very helpful, especially this post: “They didn’t actually come from the towers, from what I understand they were located in the Comex vaults at 4 or 5 WTC, which were the short black buildings on the east side of the complex, just across from the old church. The buildings were destroyed for the most part, but the vaults withstood the destruction relatively unscathed, and these coins survived undamaged. So someone got a marketing idea to sell them as WTC coins, which most people find in poor taste, but there’s a market for everything I guess.” Even though those coins aren’t the ones in the OP, it would sure explain a lot if the silver in the OP coins were recovered from 4 or 5 WTC. I guess like most people, when I hear “World Trade Center,” I think of 1 and 2, not the other five buildings. Still hoping nobody buys 'em, but at least I have a better idea of what lies behind the whole scam. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/31 "2010-12-29T01:44:48Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I don’t see how copyrights enter into it. Wouldn’t you want some kind of certification? The encapsulation itself contains certification by PCGS. [Here’s the obverse and reverse.](http://www.flickr.com/photos/42009607@N00/5302046530/#/photos/42009607@N00/5302046530/lightbox/) The light area on the reverse is a hologram. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/32 "2010-12-29T02:29:02Z")
That doesn’t really explain why copyright was mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/33 "2010-12-29T02:39:06Z")
> [@taffygirl](#): > > If my house burned down, and you went in and found my unharmed flat screen TV (assuming I had one), would you get to keep it? I don’t know, but I call dibs. 😉 And yes, I’ve seen the ads. I don’t find it just tacky – but beyond tasteless. Ugh. Let’s commerate of greatest tragedies in U.S. history – by taking materials from the site of said tragedy and turning it into tacky souveniors!!! ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/34 "2010-12-29T02:51:10Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > That doesn’t really explain why copyright was mentioned. I didn’t really understand your question. I mentioned it here because it was mentioned on the page I linked to yesterday. I think it’s mentioned there to illustrate that the inserts can’t be duplicated because they’re copyrighted, thus no other company could get regular coins and stick the same insert in their packaging and claim them to be WTC coins. Does that answer the question? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/35 "2010-12-29T03:04:51Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > I didn’t really understand your question. I mentioned it here because it was mentioned on the page I linked to yesterday. I think it’s mentioned there to illustrate that the inserts can’t be duplicated because they’re copyrighted, thus no other company could get regular coins and stick the same insert in their packaging and claim them to be WTC coins. Does that answer the question? No, that doesn’t really make sense. Whether there is some kind of insert that includes copyrighted work included with the coin has no bearing on whether they are genuine. Other coins might be genuine or not, but copyright has nothing to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/36 "2010-12-29T16:39:46Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > No, that doesn’t really make sense. Whether there is some kind of insert that includes copyrighted work included with the coin has no bearing on whether they are genuine. Other coins might be genuine or not, but copyright has nothing to do with it. Right, but I don’t think they’re claiming the insert has anything to do with certifying them as genuine. It just shows that the coins belong to the group released by that company. This company claims to have a chain of custody proving their particular set of coins as genuine. Someone else can release other genuine coins, but they’re on their own as far as proving them to be real. They can’t claim they were part of the coin lot released by this company because they would have to duplicate the copyrighted insert. That’s how it reads to me. I’m not much of a coin guy. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/37 "2010-12-29T18:06:57Z")
This company doesn’t seem to know what copyright law is for. What they seem to be trying to do is to find a way to indicate the origin of their goods, and related characteristics such as quality or authenticity. That’s what _trademark_ law is for. It’s silly to claim that the inclusion of a copyrighted document somehow helps them establish authenticity or origin. All they need is a trademark, which very often is nothing more than the name of the company. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/38 "2011-01-27T20:36:12Z")
Here’s Anderson Cooper on the 9-11 coins: [Video News - CNN](http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2011/01/26/ac.911.coin.scam.cnn?hpt=C2) ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496/39 "2011-01-28T00:03:46Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > It’s silly to claim that the inclusion of a copyrighted document somehow helps them establish authenticity or origin. Next, you’ll be telling us that the International Star Registry volumes “registered with the US Copyright Office” have no more validity than if the original proof had been used to prop up a short table in the scammer’s – er, entrepreneur’s – office. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-salvaged-from-the-wtc-shudder/565496.md?page=1)