With fewer than 45 days until Election Day and polls showing an extremely tight presidential race, you might think that both candidates would be laser-focused on laying out their vision for America and turning out voters. But instead, Donald Trump took time out of his schedule to hawk a silver Trump commemorative coin.
Trump brought late-night TV infomercial vibes to his social-media channels over the weekend with a video advertising his latest venture.
“Hello everyone! I have something incredible to share today,” he began. “We are announcing the launch of Trump coins, a true symbol of American greatness.”
Later, he ad-libbed, “I’ve seen a lot of coins out there using my very beautiful face — I’m a very beautiful guy. I’m only kidding! But they are not the official coin.”
As Trump notes, there are already plenty of unofficial Trump commemorative coins out there. But this is the only one that’s endorsed by Trump and, he claims, “designed by me and minted right here in the USA.”
Trump has, obviously, sold lots of weird things over the years, from steaks to gold high-top sneakers. But this move seems particularly sad since, as a former president, Trump’s face could theoretically end up on actual U.S. money someday (though that does seem unlikely). RealTrumpCoins.com is careful to note that the coins are, in fact, not “real.” Under “disclosures,” it says, “This product is not legal tender and has no face value.”
The coin may have even less value than it initially seems. In the video, Trump describes his new product as a “beautiful limited edition coin.” But the website suggests these may not actually be rare collectors’ items, since “these medallions are struck to demand, with no mintage limits.”
And there’s some disappointing information for anyone who thinks they are, at the very least, getting a valuable hunk of precious metal. The coin “contains 1 troy ounce of .999 fine silver” and retails for $100. Forbes notes that this is “much higher than the $31.50 per ounce market value of silver.”
The item comes “in a custom felt bag with a Certificate of Authenticity,” but in the photo, this looks a lot like the kind of black drawstring pouch that retails for as low as 40 cents on Amazon.
Not to be outdone, Melania Trump announced on Monday that she too is selling a metal coin of dubious value. Hers is a pendant fashioned into “a limited edition, gold vermeil necklace celebrating Lady Liberty with the option of a digital collectible.” The name and capitalization might leave you with the impression that the necklace features the Statue of Liberty, but it appears to show a random lady below the word “LIBERTY.”
According to MelaniaTrump.com, the medallion is 1.5 inches in diameter, it is made of gold-plated sterling silver, and it comes on a 26-inch, 4-mm. gold-plated sterling chain.
Melania’s “Vote Freedom” necklace costs a whopping $600. MelaniaTrump.com only accepts actual currency, so don’t try to pay with six shiny silver Trump coins or the equivalent in magic beans.
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