Freedom Tower Silver Dollar Freedom Tower Silver Dollar Value : No official value Face value 1.00 U.S. dollars Mass : unknown Diameter : 39 mm Thickness : unknown Edge : reeded Composition : Bronze base ( reported ) , 0.0001 in ( 2.5 µm ) silver clad Obverse Design : Freedom Tower in New York City skyline Designer : Daniel Carr ( `` DC '' inscription ) Design Date : 2004 ? Reverse Design : World Trade Center in New York City skyline Designer : Daniel Carr ( `` DC '' inscription ) Design Date : 2004 ? The Freedom Tower Silver Dollar is a `` one dollar '' coin minted under license of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ( CNMI ) in 2004 . Despite vague statements in advertisements , it is not issued by the United States Mint and is not considered legal tender . The CNMI receives royalty fees from proceeds of the sale of the coin . The coin is actually minted by SoftSky , a Wyoming commemorative coin maker . The obverse of the coin features an image of the proposed Freedom Tower being built on the former site of the World Trade Center in New York , the United States national motto `` In God We Trust '' , and the words `` Freedom Tower , July 4 , 2004. '' The reverse features an image of the former World Trade Center and the words `` We Will Never Forget '' , along with a small symbol of a star on a stone pillar within a circle . This latter unidentified icon is in fact the coat of arms of the Northern Mariana Islands . The distributor of the coin , National Collector 's Mint , advertises the item as `` legally authorized government issue '' and marks the coin with the valuation of `` One Dollar `` . This is seen as being a deliberate attempt to mislead American consumers into believing it is a legal tender coin produced by the United States Mint and is worth one U.S. dollar . In reaction to advertising for this product , the U.S. Mint , as well as the attorneys general of various U.S. states , released a statement that the coin is not U.S. government issue . Furthermore , since the Northern Mariana Islands is a Commonwealth , it cannot mint its own legal tender currency ( it uses regular American money ) . The distributors also purport that the coins have been struck using silver recovered from a vault in the rubble of the World Trade Center . The validity of this claim has not been confirmed . Distributors warn that the minting of the coin will cease once the quantity of recovered silver has been exhausted , and have therefore placed a limit on the number of coins that can be ordered per person . The coins are not solid silver , but are silver clad ( 0.0001 inch ( 2.5 micrometre ) layer ) . The territorial government of the CNMI has made money from commissioning commemorative , non-tender coins through SoftSky and National Collector 's Mint in the past , but does not claim the right to commission legal tender coinage . Some past coins issued by SoftSky , such as the 1933 Gold Double Eagle coin , have also incurred marketing controversy . In October 2004 the attorney general of New York , Eliot Spitzer , obtained a court order against National Collectors Mint ( a Port Chester , New York company ) to halt sales of the `` Freedom Tower Silver Dollar '' coin , citing it as fraudulently advertised . Spitzer also alleged that the company 's sales contacts had asserted that the coin is legal tender . On October 13 , 2004 , Spitzer obtained a temporary order halting the company from advertising or selling the coin . On November 9 , State Supreme Court Justice Joseph R. Cannizzaro ruled that the company had engaged in deceptive and fraudulent marketing practices , and ordered the company to terminate its misleading advertising of the coin . An investigation as to the silver content and the origin of the silver in the coins was started . The attorney general 's office easily determined that the coin was only silver clad , but as of 2005 the veracity of the claim that this silver came from a World Trade Center bank vault had not been determined . As a result of the controversy and legal action over the Freedom Tower coin , CNMI governor Juan N. Babauta suspended the SoftSky contract on November 13 , 2004 . On December 2 , Babauta ended the contract . Before this course of events , the CNMI government made over $ 150 , 000 off the deal . Other groups have also released silver Freedom Tower coins , but not with a denominational value or advertised as government issue . The CNMI coin was named `` Stupid Investment of the Week '' by CBS MarketWatch on September 24 , 2004 . 2005 Freedom Tower Dollar In 2005 , a similar coin to the CNMI Freedom Tower coin was sold , with similar design and the same claim of being made from silver `` reclaimed '' from the World Trade Center , but bearing the name of the Cook Islands instead of the CNMI. The Cook Islands are a self-governing democracy , and do mint their own currency ( at par with the New Zealand dollar ) , though this coin is sold as `` non-circulating '' . 2001-2006 World Trade Center Gold and Silver Clad Commemorative As of 2006 , the National Collectors Mint was offering what is variously described as 2001-2006 World Trade Center Gold and Silver Clad Commemorative , 2001-2006 World Trade Center Commemorative , and 5th Anniversary World Trade Center Commemorative . It is advertised as a `` non-monetary issue '' that `` will never be released for circulation . `` This coin is a two piece set of a gold coin with a detachable silver inset of the World Trade Center complex and claims to contain `` 15 mg. of 24 KT gold and 15 mg. of .999 Pure silver clad. '' For comparison , a U.S. dollar coin is 8.1 g and a dime is 2.268 g , meaning that the precious metal content of the commemorative coin is likely between 0.4% and 1.3% of the total mass . The company claims that `` $ 5 of every 2001-2006 World Trade Center Commemorative order is donated to official 9/11 family charities and memorials . `` External links 2001-2006 World Trade Center Gold and Silver Clad Commemorative ( commercial ) National Collectors Mint - Freedom Tower Silver Dollar ( commercial ) U.S. Mint press release on the Freedom Tower Silver Dollar Saipan Tribune story on the end of the Softkey deal Court Order Halts Sales of 'Freedom Tower Silver Dollars ' , New York State Attorney General 's Office , October 13 2004 Court Finds World Trade Center 'Freedom Tower Silver Dollar ' Ads Deceptive , New York State Attorney General 's Office , November 9 , 2004 Daniel Carr resume Categories : Northern Mariana Islands | Coins 