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WORLD VS VIRUS COVID-19 TASK FORCE COINLord Ashcroft proposed granting the George Cross medal to front line medical workers in the coronavirus pandemic. Other medals, challenge coins, and tacky souvenirs are inevitable, such as the "I Stayed Home Pandemic 2020" item mentioned earlier. Several readers passed along stories this week with headlines like "The White House Gift Shop Is Now Selling This Absurd Commemorative Coin." I was unaware of any official White House gift shop other than perhaps the White House Historical Association, known for selling annual Christmas tree ornaments. I figured this was referencing some third-party product. The web site cited looked official and claimed to be offical, but poking around I could see that it was a private company offering. Here are images and text from the White House Gift Shop site. -Editor  WORLD vs VIRUS MEMORIAL COIN & PRESIDENT TRUMP'S COVID-19 TASK FORCE Numbered Limited Edition Certificate to Match Edge Number on Coin To read the complete item description, see:
Other non-government White House shops:
Here's what the fact-checking Snopes web site concluded. -Editor What's True The website WhiteHouseGiftShop.com is selling coronavirus commemorative coins. What's False WhiteHouseGiftShop.com is not the official gift shop of the White House, and these commemorative coins were not officially sanctioned by the United States government. In late April 2020, some social media users accused the White House of attempting to capitalize on the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic by selling commemorative coins through the "White House Gift Shop" The U.S. government is not selling coronavirus commemorative coins via the White House Gift Shop. The LGBTQ Nation article mentioned in the ... tweet is referring to the website WhiteHouseGiftShop.com. Although this website is selling coronavirus commemorative coins, and it does call itself the "White House Gift Shop," it is not officially affiliated with U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. government, or the White House. To read the complete article, see:
Some of the articles readers sent do put ‘White House' in quotes and state that the coins are sold by the "privately-run White House store", though their opening paragraphs do not. -Editor To read the complete article, see:
Scott Miller forwarded this Artnet News article on contemporary art parodies of over-the-top Presidential coins. It identifies the maker of the "White House Gift Shop" piece, but did not get any comments from them. -Editor The United States is still very much in the thick of the pandemic, but you wouldn't know it from looking at the latest product on offer at the White House Gift Shop: a commemorative coin celebrating the Trump Administration's heroic, victorious efforts to fight coronavirus. The coin shows an artist's rendering of the coronavirus overlaid on a world map, and reads (with characteristically Trumpian capitalization), "World vs Virus: We Fought the Unseen Enemy. Everyday HEROES Suited Up. Everyday CITIZENS Did Their Part." The other side features the presidential podium, where Trump until recently delivered his controversial daily press briefings. The coin is on sale for a cool $100—marked off from $125 for pre-orders. It was designed by Challenge Design, an Illinois and Indiana-based company specializing in commemorative coins. When reached by Artnet News, company owner and creative director Mary H. Harms declined to comment. The White House Gift Shop did not respond to inquiries. The President's unique approach to coins has already inspired some artists to put their own twist on the form. Valery Estabrook presented her project, called "The Impeachmint," at last month's SPRING/BREAK Art Show in New York. In the series, she immortalizes the administration's lowest moments, such as Trump's impeachment.
Her current working draft, available for pre-order for $99 ($1 less than the official coin!), features a quote from March 13 in which Trump denied that it was his fault that there were not sufficient coronavirus tests. "I don't take responsibility at all," said the president. To read the complete article, see:
To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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