May 30, 2007 – Dallas, TX - Last week we reported on 20th Century Fox's promotion of its forthcoming film, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, in which the studio partnered with The Franklin Mint to create an original limited collector's edition "Silver Surfer" U.S. quarter that will challenge movie goers to Search 4 $ilver.
The collector’s “Silver Surfer” U.S. quarter will be emblazoned with the image of the legendary Marvel Comics character who takes a leading role in the movie. This legal tender coin is a 2005 California statehood commemorative quarter minted by the United States Mint and specially color-enhanced by The Franklin Mint for Twentieth Century Fox.
Well, we learned through a Dallas Morning News article that it seems the 40,000 coins, that will be distributed by a specially-outfitted fleet of silver armored trucks all across America, are illegal and the U.S. Mint is not too happy about it. The U.S. Mint, which just found out about the coins last week after the promotion was announced, says in a statement, "The Promotion is in no way approved, authorized, endorsed, or sponsored by the United States Mint."
However, the Franklin Mint claims that, unlike the other commemorative coin promotions it is so well known to distribute, these coins aren't being sold to consumers. A Franklin Mint spokesperson contends that the Silver Surfer image emblazoned on the coin "in no way alters the integrity of the coins. " The spokesperson goes on to say, "we are very, very protective of the currency of this country and our goal was to enhance the coin."
Yeah right, your only intention was to enhance the coin. Whatever! Sounds to me like another movie studio promotion gone awry. Anyone remember the bomb scare that followed the planting of the "suspicious" lighted boxes around the country by promoters of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters? I guess skirting the gray edges of the law counts as effective advertising now.
20th Century Fox
Finders of the specially marked coins can log onto a web site and enter a contest to win prizes
