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

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

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

Needless to say, the Real Liberty Copper coins would make impressive presents 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!