Will County may sell 150th anniversary commemorative coins — 35 years later
The Will County treasurer’s office has a few special coins it is looking to unload.
The coins, minted to commemorate the county’s 150th anniversary in 1986, had been stored in the treasurer’s vault. Recent renovations at the county building included trading the larger vault for a smaller one, leading Treasurer Tim Brophy to inquire about the coins.
“These have been sitting around for many years and I thought, instead of letting them rot in a safe, we should put them out there,” Brophy said Wednesday.
Brophy has suggested making the coins, stored in an old coffee container inside the vault, available to the public to purchase. A price has not yet been determined, but Brophy anticipates it may be around $30, given the market price for an ounce of silver is at about $28.
In all, 10,000 bronze coins and 5,000 silver coins were minted to mark the county’s 150th anniversary. Brophy said his office has 341 silver coins left. Brophy said he could not find more information about the original sales in 1986.
Brophy plans to bring the coins to an in-person county board meeting, though he was uncertain if it would be in June or July. The county board would have to vote to make the coins available for sale and the price for each coin.
“We’re going to try to offer them to the public,” said board Speaker Mimi Cowan, D-Naperville.
Brophy has suggested selling the coins through the end of the year and then possibly selling whatever is left to a third party.