The Real Liberty copper coin

Here is a unique coin to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday. It’s not cheap: The cost is $250 apiece. However, what makes this souvenir so unusual is that it is made of copper from the original construction of the Statue of Liberty. Some readers may be old enough to remember how this symbol of liberty—originally unveiled in 1886—needed serious restoration as it neared its 100th birthday. So, in the early 1980s, the federal government asked the famous auto executive Lee Iacocca to run a foundation to raise the necessary funds and oversee the renovation. Some of the old bronze on the statue was removed and replaced. A history buff bought this metal (and other scraps). This original copper was subsequently purchased by Carolyn Rafaelian, a highly creative, multifaceted entrepreneur. She used some of them in her nationwide jewelry line.

Now Rafaelian has designed and will mint 4 million coins to celebrate our 250th birthday. The name of the coin is Real Liberty Copper. Two million will be released for delivery to buyers. The other half will belong to buyers who have chosen to permanently store their coins at the historic Belcourt Mansion in the custody of the Belcourt Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, where the original copper and other materials are currently housed. The architect of this grand mansion was Richard Morris Hunt, who also created the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

I heard about this project last summer when I was part of a group that took a tour of the legendary Belcourt mansion from Carolyn herself. He bought the mansion in 2012 and is in the midst of orchestrating a painstaking, long-term restoration and the creation of a museum that will house the artifacts from the restoration of the Statue of Liberty. Our group was in the area for the annual Newport Global Summit, a prestigious two-day confab of notable figures from business, finance, academia, diplomacy and the arts, founded in 2009 by another irrepressible dynamo, Katharine Cushing.

Needless to say, Real Liberty Copper coins would make impressive gifts for any occasion. More information about them can be found at reallibertycopper.com.

To be clear, yours truly has no financial interest here — no partnership, no commission, no discount, not even a gift coin from the creator!