The White House Gift Shop is selling coronavirus commemorative coins now

[riversedge]

Source: lgbtqnation.com



For only $125, you can remember the deaths of friends and family forever.

By Bil Browning Wednesday, April 29, 2020 2 Comments


The White House Gift Shop is allowing online pre-orders for a coronavirus commemorative coin that costs $125. The website claims that 20 percent of proceeds will be “donated each day to U.S. hospitals including Johns Hopkins for its COVID-19 Coordination and Trackins [sic].”

The coin features the names of President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci. It has a graphic of the COVID-19 virus on one side and the presidential podium on the other.
................

The coronavirus coin is the 11th in their “Historic Moments” collection. Other coins in the collection include one bearing Trump’s face and deemed a symbol of “the genius level thinking & proven successes of President Donald J. Trump.”..................
............................

The White House Gift Shop is a controversial business that is only tangentially related to the actual White House. At one point it was affiliated with the Secret Service, but the trademark is held by a private individual, Anthony Giannini.

Giannini describes himself as non-partisan, but admits he is a Trump supporter..............................

Read more: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2020/04/white-house-gift-shop-selling-coronavirus-commemorative-coins-now/#.XqmtqU-D7Lc.twitter

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I am fine with selling a commemorative coin for charity IF no WH names are on it. This is just Trump selling his brand again. damn

Link to tweet

?s=20

Link to tweet

?s=20

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. How tacky is this???

[tulipsandroses]

4. Very tacky indeed and a slap in the face of the people that have passed on, survivors

and frontline personnel. They did not fight anything! And where does the other 80% go?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. You have to be a special kind of sucker to pay $125 for a "coin" like that. . . . nt

[yellowdogintexas]

82. I went over to the link and looked at the entire inventory

which includes items from past administrations, and a lot of generic items with only official seals on them.

There is also a lovely collection of past White House Christmas ornaments, some of which are quite arty. We have two: one was a gift from a friend who worked in the EPA legal dept during Bush 41 years and I bought the other one at a Texas Democratic Women State Convention. One of them is a 3D gold White House and the other features a painting of Grover Cleveland's wedding. They are both in the catalog but I could only get one of them to copy


https://www.whitehousegiftshop.com/product-p/2007-official.htm

They appear to be issued by the White House Historical Association.

It is nice to know that the inventory is not just related to the current administration. What is the most revolting is the #45 collection of coins.

[renate]

52. the other 80% presumably goes into the pocket of the guy who owns this site, not the White House

This is gross and inappropriate, but it's probably important to note (which is why I'm posting this up high... sorry to hijack your comment, so we don't look foolish by assuming this is Trump's doing, plausible though that may be) that this is not any kind of official White House-sanctioned gift shop or GOP fundraising site or anything like that. Just a turd trying to make a buck.

[tulipsandroses]

72. Thanks for the clarification. Unbelievable that this is person is trying to capitalize

off this tragedy.

[CaptYossarian]

54. Wait until Trump starts autographing masks before we condemn this.

But it is still tacky. Apparently, the company who made these coins had some "essential" workers.

[RobinA]

80. I Can See

some upsides to his autographing of masks.

[CaptYossarian]

84. He seems to be proud of his more twisted and destructive "accomplishments".

[Walleye]

2. Somebody ask trump if this sarcasm.

[DENVERPOPS]

21. Sounds a lot like

the ONION or BOROWITZ.

It also could be a Jared Project that kept him busy night and day as Director of Covid Response Team.......

This is Sooooooooo F***ing out of control.........................

We just had an elderly friend, who basically said: F it and bailed out. A really really great person who didn't feel like playing Urban Road Warrior for the remainder of his life.........

I am thoroughly convinced that the TRUE death toll of Covid is being hidden in so many different ways. And despite the RepubliCONS efforts we have still been able to achieve yet another #1 for Lardass..........

I fully expect that the ignoring of the stay at home being ignored that we will see a real explosion of the Virus here in the U.S.
One wave after another, and especially in the fall.

The world doesn't know shit about this Virus yet, and we are playing Russian Roulette with our population with one half assed solution after another.........The Coup de Gras will be when we find out that this Virus is one of the ones that we cannot develop an immunity to and no vaccine can be developed that truly gives any protection......

Mother Nature has finally put her foot down at how we humans have been treating her planet that she has reached her boiling point and said: Here, try this one.................

This is just one "last hurrah" for the RepubliCON party. I cannot tell you how many times over the last decade in particular that I have heard old white men saying: "That's ok, I won't be around, what do I care"......

WASF

[relayerbob]

3. Now we can forever associate Trump with disease

Oh, and Corona virus, too.

Fitting.

[Jamastiene]

5. I thought the TP scalpers were deranged and disgusting, but

that is child's play compared to how tacky, deranged, and disgusting this is.

[gab13by13]

6. I don't believe it, it can't be true.

[catbyte]

36. Oh, yes, it is:

https://www.whitehousegiftshop.com/product-p/covid-heroes.htm

[NotHardly]

40. Holy Mother of God ... there is no level to which they will sink.

[gab13by13]

7. Oh, if true, who gets the 80%?

[mercuryblues]

8. Holy Fuck. This is not satire. It is real

https://www.whitehousegiftshop.com/product-p/covid-heroes.htm


Today only you can get the coins for $100.00. Hurry before they sell out!

I am appalled by this.

[ancianita]

9. Coronacapitalists' grift shop.

[marble falls]

10. Literally vulture capitalism. I can't wait for the Trumpy Bearish commercial ...

"Act now!! Get two coins for the price of one for a separate shipping and handing fee!

[Lakerstan]

11. Did you see #7?

OTHER COINS IN THE HISTORIC MOMENT ART SERIES INCLUDE

Number 7: Title: GENIUS MAKES ITS OWN RULES with a Monograph "President Donald J. Trump: A Study in Genius"

[harumph]

12. I guess the commemorative butt plugs are sold out?

[marble falls]

13. Just looked at the coin. The reverse side shows an empty podium: signifying "no leadership"??

[Delmette2.0]

14. How are people going to visit the gift shop when WH tours are cancelled?

Oh, wait is there an online gift shop?

I just can't go to the WH website.




P.S. we need more outrage imogs.

[LeftInTX]

69. An LLC out of Lancaster, PA runs this

It's a website without a store It's a guy making a buck.

TPM did an investigation:
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/white-house-gift-shop-tpm-investigation-continues

This is not the WH store that is in the WH

[Delmette2.0]

70. Thank you for this.

I was disliking the idea of a gift shop in the White House anyway. Especially with the kind of junk Dipshit would put in it.

[NYC Liberal]

15. This would be...somewhat ok...if 100% was being donated.

But it's Trump, so he is somehow going to pocket 80% of it.

[CurtEastPoint]

16. A little help, please. I am finding this but am seeing it's not an official government website?

https://www.whitehousegiftshop.com/

[Lakerstan]

17. https://www.whitehousegiftshop.com/aboutus.asp

[CurtEastPoint]

19. Yes, thank you but I"m still not clear: is it a government store or not.

[scarletwoman]

47. Read down to the end of the OP:

The White House Gift Shop is a controversial business that is only tangentially related to the actual White House. At one point it was affiliated with the Secret Service, but the trademark is held by a private individual, Anthony Giannini.

It is not a government store.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

18. That is fucking sick

And not in a good way

[marble falls]

20. The web site with its history ...

https://www.whitehousegiftshop.com/The-White-House-Gift-Shop-Official-Information-s/2240.htm

[keithbvadu2]

22. Trumpvirus - Over 55,000 killed

Trumpvirus - Over 55,000 killed

That will fit on a coin.

[Mike 03]

24. This is right up there with those Auschwitz Christmas tree ornaments that

Amazon had to scramble to remove from their website.

Tasteless, tactless and who paid for it? and who's going to buy it?

[noneof_theabove]

25. sounds like more Jarhead mischief...

a cheap as commemorative coin should not cost $100 to make.
So who is profiting .... follow the money.

[Grokenstein]

26. Man, it's a damn good thing I don't have a flamethrower.

[Juneboarder]

27. It's on sale...

Guess they didn't get the huge demand they were hoping for.

https://www.whitehousegiftshop.com/product-p/covid-heroes.htm

[LisaM]

28. I am not fine with selling any kind of commemorative coin. This is ghoulish.

Who does he think he is, Caesar? Oh wait, yeah, he does.

And for Drs. Birx and Fauci to agree to their images being used this way, well, every day I teeter between respect and disdain for them, and today the teeter is wayyyyyyyy down on the disdain side.

[niyad]

39. Just their names. But why assume they were even consulted about this?

[scarletwoman]

46. There's no way of knowing that Birx & Fauci agreed to the use of their images on this thing.(edited)

Edit: On closer reading of the OP, it's not their images, just their names.

I rather doubt they had any say.

Read the whole OP, it's just some private guy making these up.

The White House Gift Shop is a controversial business that is only tangentially related to the actual White House. At one point it was affiliated with the Secret Service, but the trademark is held by a private individual, Anthony Giannini.

[LisaM]

48. Well, they need to pull their images then.

You can't use peoples' images for profit without their consent.

[scarletwoman]

49. It's just their names. (nt)

[LisaM]

59. Yes, you're probably right.

The OP might have been a little more specific that this was a pretty sub rosa use of the White House name and image though.

[scarletwoman]

60. Here's the picture of it:

Hat Tip: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213365606

[LisaM]

68. The article had a photo of the actual White House.

The White House (not this White House of course, which probably cheerleads it) ought object to use of its image. it's tarnishment.

[Javaman]

29. yup, they are. I just checked.

get your plague coins! get your plague coins!

truly despicable.

[sop]

35. "Truly despicable" is an understatement. Every time you think Trump can't sink any lower...

I wonder if they'll issue commemorative editions when the death rate reaches 100k, 150k and so on?

[Javaman]

30. this is the equivalent of selling Pearl Harbor coins with a pict of a Japanese Zero on it.

what the honest fuck?

[ananda]

31. Death Cult Grifters gotta grift.

Preorder? Will anyone actually get one?

And... A "portion" going to hospitals fighting COVID-19 leaves me asking
first, how large a portion; and second, who is getting the other portion???

And btw, I wouldn't touch one of those coins or have one anywhere near me.
They come from very tainted mints.

[dalton99a]

32. Yeah, the Trump crime family will give your money to hospitals

[TygrBright]

33. This is The Onion, right? Please, PLEASE tell me it's The Onion...?!?!?! n/t

[Alex4Martinez]

66. They also sell "Republican Party Mugs".... not the onion.

But neither is it a government website.

They are a dot com, but are using a lot of government imagery and I think they should be called on it.

Mug: https://www.whitehousegiftshop.com/Republican-Party-Mug-Etched-in-USA-Personalized-p/republican-mug.htm

They stink of Trump, not surprisingly.

[yaesu]

34. its a private company with no government connection, just using the gift shop name nt

[Totally Tunsie]

37. Better to send your $125 to a valid COVID-related charity.

Food banks would be delighted to receive it.

These coins are shameful.

[IronLionZion]

38. White house should open up for tours

since people can't visit the Governor's mansions in states that have ended their stay at home orders to stop paying unemployment to low income service workers.

[Trueblue Texan]

41. absolutely disgusting. that is all.

[42bambi]

42. I can't even ... !! I feel like I'm going to upchuck!

[berksdem]

43. I said this in the other board...

This is not the official White House gift shop. It is some moron Trumper trying to make a quick buck... privately owned business. It was just on the T Hartman Program a few minutes ago.

[Kali]

71. still, I wouldn't be surprised if the grifter family wasn't getting a cut of some sort...

and if not - good - some scumbag ripping them off is kind of poetic justice.

[yellowdogintexas]

81. National Park Service uses private organizations to run the food and accomodation

at National Parks. Usually several parks are contracted with the same entity, and the various private entities bid for the contracts. When I was spending a lot of time at MCNP, the hotel, all the food services, and the gift shop were operated by Eastern National Parks Association; they are now operated by Delaware North.

See Link
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2019/02/national-parks-101-who-runs-lodges-and-dining-establishments

Now I am going to check out the website for this abomination at the White House.

[yuiyoshida]

44. GRIFTERS GOTTA GRIFT.....

You mean so long as he doesn't pocket some of that money, cause he will.

[Glorfindel]

45. "the genius level thinking & proven successes of President Donald J. Trump"

[AtheistCrusader]

50. gauche

[Brainfodder]

51. Dear supreme assholes....

'nuff said.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

53. Joe.My.God. has edited his original thread with some important information about the WHGS.

CORRECTION: Outfit Selling $100 “Historic COVID-19 Coins” Is No Longer Formally Connected To The WH
April 29, 2020

From the [not] official site of the White House gift shop:

{snip}

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

After my post went up and we noticed more misspellings in the offerings, I became suspicious and it turns out that in 2018 Talking Points Memo went to through great lengths to find out the truth about the White House Gift Shop.

The history of the Gift Shop goes back to a service organization affiliated with the US Secret Service. As recently as a decade ago it was run by the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division Benefit Fund. But on December 27th, 2011 the UDBF signed a contract with Giannini Strategic Enterprises to take over the Gift Shop business and run it on the UDBF’s behalf. In essence, the UDBF licensed GSE to run their store on its behalf.

Oncce Giannini was gifted the Gift Shop he went to the US Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the name White House Gift Shop. From what I can tell his initial application was rejected on the pretty straightforward argument that it gave the false impression that it was part of the White House.

Giannini made a counter argument that there were other trademark holders with the phrase “white house” in their title (though those don’t suggest any connection to the Executive Office of the President) and that, contrary to the Trademark office’s claim, the actual White House (the governmental institution) was in fact connected to the company. The Trademark office bought this argument and issued the trademark. It seems to be the only trademark in existence specifically referencing a relationship to the White House.

Bottom line: The White House Gift Shop owns the federally sanctioned trademark on its name but is NOT actually connected to the White House any longer.

http://www.geektools.com/whois.php

Checking server [whois.crsnic.net]

Checking server [whois.tucows.com]
Results:
Domain Name: WHITEHOUSEGIFTSHOP.COM
Registry Domain ID: 9396776_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.tucows.com
Registrar URL: http://tucowsdomains.com
Updated Date: 2017-09-05T13:20:09
Creation Date: 1999-08-23T18:59:09
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2027-08-23T18:59:09
Registrar: TUCOWS, INC.
Registrar IANA ID: 69
Reseller: Hover
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited
Domain Status: clientUpdateProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientUpdateProhibited
Registry Registrant ID:
Registrant Name: Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 0146830340
Registrant Organization: Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 0146830340
Registrant Street: 96 Mowat Ave
Registrant City: Toronto
Registrant State/Province: ON
Registrant Postal Code: M6K 3M1
Registrant Country: CA
Registrant Phone: [phone]
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: [e-mail]
Registry Admin ID:
Admin Name: Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 0146830340
Admin Organization: Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 0146830340
Admin Street: 96 Mowat Ave
Admin City: Toronto
Admin State/Province: ON
Admin Postal Code: M6K 3M1
Admin Country: CA
Admin Phone: [phone]
Admin Phone Ext:
Admin Fax:
Admin Fax Ext:
Admin Email: [e-mail]
Registry Tech ID:
Tech Name: Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 0146830340
Tech Organization: Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 0146830340
Tech Street: 96 Mowat Ave
Tech City: Toronto
Tech State/Province: ON
Tech Postal Code: M6K 3M1
Tech Country: CA
Tech Phone: [phone]
Tech Phone Ext:
Tech Fax:
Tech Fax Ext:
Tech Email: [e-mail]
Name Server: ns1.volusion.com
Name Server: ns2.volusion.com
Name Server: ns3.volusion.com
Name Server: ns4.volusion.com
DNSSEC: unsigned
Registrar Abuse Contact Email: [e-mail]
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: [phone]
URL of the ICANN WHOIS Data Problem Reporting System: http://wdprs.internic.net/
>>> Last update of WHOIS database: 2020-04-29T18:53:56Z <<<

{snip}

[pmtrindade]

55. I almost want one

This belongs next to the first brochure promoting Asbestos and a 50’s picture of a family spectating a nuclear bomb.

[iluvtennis]

56. this is DISGUSTING. If WH wants to help raise money, provide Americans with list of orgs

they can donate - food banks, homeless shelters, etc.

We don't need a stinking commemorative coin.

[onenote]

79. As a half dozen posts that preceded yours point out -- this is a private company not the WH

It has no affiliation with the government

[vlyons]

57. Grifters gotta grift

Grifters gotta grift. Yes, you too for a mere $125 can buy a Covid-19 commemorative coin. If you get 2, you can place them on the closed eyelids of your dead loved one to pay for his/her boat trip across the river Styx into the Underworld.

[benfranklin1776]

58. Wow no empathy whatsoever. Taking a victory lap as the body count multiplies.

Rather as fucking cluelessly self idolizing as It would have been if Neville Chamberlain issued a commemorative coin heralding his victory over Hitler and fascism after letting him take over Czechoslovakia. Heck of a job Donnie! 🤬🤬🤬🤬

[tiptonic]

61. Is this

Is this some kind of a sick joke?

[ffr]

62. Another site responded this way. ***Sarcasm alert ***

Let me just rant for a moment…
“We” fought the enemy? Last I saw, Trump was telling people to drink bleach and die.
“Everyday citizens are doing their part” Are those the everyday citizens that Trump inspired to rally against the Stay-At-Home orders?
And “Everyday Heroes suited up” Are those the doctors, nurses, and other front-line staff that couldn’t suit up since there wasn’t enough PPE since Trump was stockpiling?

- DailySoundandFury

[appleannie1]

63. Sick, unfeeling and depraved.

[Alex4Martinez]

64. Gonna need a new Circle of Hell for this bullshit. FUCK THIS SHIT!

FUCK this fucker all to fucking hell, fuck!

[SpankMe]

65. Twenty percent to charity - where does the rest go?

If it goes to any private entity at all, Fauci and Birx are under no obligation as federal employees to allow their names to be used. I hope they object.

[Dawgman49]

67. Please tell me this is from the"Onion"

OMG

[flibbitygiblets]

73. WHGS is a private company, not government-run

Not that this isn't abhorrent, it's just not a ".gov" entity.

[Nitram]

74. Fucking gouls!

[olddad65]

75. No picture of Putin. That is just not right.

[whistler162]

76. Hey it is 20% off today

https://www.whitehousegiftshop.com/searchresults.asp?Search=corvid&Submit=

[whistler162]

77. It is all Truman's fault

for establishing the gift shop in 1946.

[raccoon]

78. I was so hoping this would be the onion. Silly me! Nt

[Kablooie]

83. This place is private and not connected to the government.

It's been selling White House kitsch since at least 1999.
Originally it only had generic White House merch but gradually over the years started having president specific items.
They had Obama things during his presidency.
(I researched it on the Wayback Machine Internet Archive.)

But they've jumped on the Maga bandwagon in a big way.
I guess it's too good a marketing opportunity to pass up.