FANTASTIC FOUR GETS SILVER PROMOTION

[MattBrady]

Check your change.

This year, U.S. quarter collectors will not only be on the hunt for 2007’s state editions, but also the Silver Surfer quarter as well.

Seriously.

If it all comes off without a hitch, it’s one of the better movie promotions for a comic book film in a long time: Fox and The Franklin Mint have teamed to create a limited “Silver Surfer U.S. Quarter” (mocked up version art seen here), which will still maintain its 25 cent value as legal tender.

According to the plan for the promotion, a fleet of silver armored trucks have been loaded with the coins, will leave from the Twentieth Century Fox lot to deliver quarters across the United States, and on May 22nd, 40,000 Silver Surfer quarters will be put into circulation across the country.

From the official rules:

Those who find the Silver Surfer coin can go to the movie website (http://www.riseofthesilversurfer.com/) and register to win a Four-day trip for Four to the World Premiere of Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer in London. The grand prize winner will be announced on June 1st.

The first Four people to go online to report Silver Surfer coin findings will receive a special private screening of Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer for their friends and family in their hometown the night before the film’s nationwide release (June 14th).

Every person who finds a Silver Surfer coin will be eligible to visit the movie’s website on a daily basis to flip the virtual coin for a chance to win Fantastic instant prizes.

Developing...

UPDATED 4:00pm: The Franklin Mint has issued a press release about the coins, as well as an image of the Silver Surfer quarters, which corrects and clarifies earlier information:

This summer, silver is the new gold standard – for movies, with the June 15 release of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and for movie promotions, as Twentieth Century Fox and the Franklin Mint join forces 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.

Fox will launch the Search 4 $ilver in grand style by sending a specially-outfitted fleet of silver armored trucks out to deliver 40,000 coins to cities all across America, in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Then begins the Search. Those who find the special coins will be directed to the film’s official website, where they can register for a chance to win a 4 day/3 night trip for 4 to the June 12th world premiere of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer in London, England. The winner will be announced on or about June 4. Also, the first 400 people to register will be entered for a chance to receive one private screening of the film for their friends and family the night before the film surfs into theaters everywhere. In addition to the above prize opportunities, every fan is invited to visit the film’s website (www.riseofthesilversurfer.com) everyday until June 12th to flip a “virtual coin” for a chance to win instant prizes.

The Fantastic Four meet their greatest challenge yet in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, as the enigmatic, intergalactic herald, the Silver Surfer, comes to Earth to prepare it for destruction. As he races around the globe wreaking havoc, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben must unravel the mystery before all hope is lost. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, opening everywhere June 15, is the second installment of the live-action film series based on what fans around the globe know as “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine. “Fantastic Four" directed by Tim Story and released in the summer of 2005, had a worldwide theatrical gross of $330 million and became one of Twentieth Century Fox’s most successful DVD titles ever.

[HaveMercy]

That sounds cool.

[Equinox]

Very. Meanwhile, the chances of actually seeing one are slim. I hope I do.

[Predabot1]

Cool! THat's pretty clever of them. Maybe we fans can trade some regular ones for em' if we see someone having one?

[Kidcanuck]

Instead of "Look to the Skies..." it will be "Look to Ebay"

[Amoebas]

As ironic as this may sound - Corporations can now buy our money.

What's next? A Viagra nickle? George Washington drinking a Pepsi on the dollar bill?

More and more big business gets a tighter hold on our government (and Fox no less).

Maybe I'm just being paranoid on a Monday morn - but I don't like where this is heading.

[BornToRun]

Originally Posted by Amoebas

As ironic as this may sound - Corporations can now buy our money.

What's next? A Viagra nickle? George Washington drinking a Pepsi on the dollar bill?

More and more big business gets a tighter hold on our government (and Fox no less).

Maybe I'm just being paranoid on a Monday morn - but I don't like where this is heading.

Damn skippy.

[Zadillo]

Originally Posted by Amoebas

As ironic as this may sound - Corporations can now buy our money.

What's next? A Viagra nickle? George Washington drinking a Pepsi on the dollar bill?

More and more big business gets a tighter hold on our government (and Fox no less).

Maybe I'm just being paranoid on a Monday morn - but I don't like where this is heading.

Note this is being done with the Franklin Mint, not the US Mint.

I don't think we're quite at the point where corporations can get the US Mint to do promotional currency, etc.

[Hebime]

Uhm....relax.
Re-read the article.

It says the FRANKLIN mint, not the US Mint.
One of the ridiculous things they do is take real coins and paint, gold plate, or otherwise gussy them up, jack the price and then sell them to 'collectors'.
(Not that a comic fan would understand anything like that!)

In all likelyhood, these are regular US quarters decorated somehow to mark them as promotions and will then be distributed. Tho I'm not sure how, banks might not take them as they have been technically defaced, and I wonder how they get around the federal law, but I am sure they know what they are doing.

If you receive one and you are offended, I'm sure you can drop it in a cup of paint thinner and shortly extract a regular old boring quarter.

I mean what would you rather have on the back of your quarter?
Arkansas or the Silver Surfer?

[Drcharles]

You Yanks have all the good things.

[weaselwelch]

As someone mentioned soon it will be on ebay. I can see it now. $50 or more for 25 cents.

Though I just checked Franklin's website and nothing was mentioned about it.

[razorwing77]

Wow! And all from the same people that brought us the US Civil War commemorative chess set (cast in fine pewter!).

[CitC]

which will still maintain its 25 cent value as legal tender.

This is the part that confuses me. How can it still be spent? In vending machines maybe, but in a store?

[Cry For Life]

I may sound crazy... but doesn't anybody honestly find it slightly disturbing that American currency will be used for corporate advertising? I wouldn't mind if this was some special commemorative coin or whatever that you had to order, but we're talking about real American currency that is being put into circulation. Sure it's not that many, but it sets a very disturbing precedent, especially considering this is NewsCorp here (owners of FOX News).

[StevieCool]

Franklin Mint can paint/mold money to look like the Silver Surfer,
but radio stations can't cover women in honey and send them in the dollar bill wind tunnel.
Double standard!
(Yes, I know, this comment is worthless without pics.)

[Cry For Life]

Would it still be a federal crime to deface the Silver Surfer in a protest against NewsCorp? Wouldn't that just beat all, the Secret Service arresting someone for destroying corporate advertising.

[Billy Parker]

This is awesome!!!!!

[Tuck!]

[quote=Amoebas]What's next? A Viagra nickle? QUOTE]


Well, it starts as a dollar, but becomes a nickle after six hours or so...(baDUMbum!)

[mikeyg]

Good things I have friends at a bank!! I'll have them on the lookout!

[Masked Vigilante]

That's pretty cool. Me being Canadian, I doubt I'll even see one.

[swinney72]

Originally Posted by Amoebas

As ironic as this may sound - Corporations can now buy our money.
What's next? A Viagra nickle? George Washington drinking a Pepsi on the dollar bill?
More and more big business gets a tighter hold on our government (and Fox no less).
Maybe I'm just being paranoid on a Monday morn - but I don't like where this is heading.

I agree. Next up, advertisements on our paper money. I almost can't believe what I'm reading. The government doesn't need the cash that badly, does it?

[vbartilucci]

Originally Posted by Zadillo

I don't think we're quite at the point where corporations can get the US Mint to do promotional currency, etc.

Not for nothing, but what do you think the state quarters are? If collectors don't circulate that money, it's like buying a gift certificate and not using it.

It's the same reason the USPS is doing the super hero stamps, the upcoming Star Wars stamps, etc. To raise revenue.

Originally Posted by Hebime

In all likelyhood, these are regular US quarters decorated somehow to mark them as promotions and will then be distributed. Tho I'm not sure how, banks might not take them as they have been technically defaced, and I wonder how they get around the federal law, but I am sure they know what they are doing.

The law about defacing money specifically says that it's illegal if you are doing it to defraud someone. So if you cut up some bills to make them look like larger denominations, that's illegal. If you try to gold plate a coin to pass as a dollar coin, that too is fraudulent. But those souvenir penny flattening machines are legal, however because you're not trying to pass the pennies off as long flat dimes or anything. Likewise the little Easter Bunny or Santa stickers you can put on the presidents' faces to give as holiday gifts. The Franklin Mint (as well as a lot of other companies) are selling gold-plated state quarters as collectibles as well, but again, they're still quarters.

So these are just quarters with some sort of veneer on them, and not any more valuable if you used them for legal tender. But if you don't think they'll be available for sale in a mint set of some type after the movie comes out, I'll bet you're mistaken. But by then anyone that wants one will have paid a usurous price for one on ebay, tho.

[DeTroyes]

Originally Posted by vbartilucci

The law about defacing money specifically says that it's illegal if you are doing it to defraud someone. So if you cut up some bills to make them look like larger denominations, that's illegal. If you try to gold plate a coin to pass as a dollar coin, that too is fraudulent. But those souvenir penny flattening machines are legal, however because you're not trying to pass the pennies off as long flat dimes or anything. Likewise the little Easter Bunny or Santa stickers you can put on the presidents' faces to give as holiday gifts. The Franklin Mint (as well as a lot of other companies) are selling gold-plated state quarters as collectibles as well, but again, they're still quarters.

But from what I understand, the laws about defacing currency are kind of vague when it comes to advertising.

Several years ago there was someone who was stamping paper currency with the address to their website, and then putting the money back into circulation. The Treasury Department came down hard on them; I believe the fines amounted to twice the amount of money they had "defaced". Likewise, they've also gone after the people who have stamped large amounts of currency with "Jesus Saves" or some other message and then put them back into circulation.

Even though that was with paper money and this is with coin, I can't see that there's much of a difference. Treasury might turn a blind eye if its a small number of pieces of currency, but I'm pretty sure they take exception if someone is attempting to put thousands or even millions of pieces of altered US Currency into circulation.

[Swift]

This is a lie.

It may be twenty five cents worth of metal, however you will not be able to use it as currency, legally.

We are not on a commodity backed money standard. We are on a fiat currency standard. You cannot use silver or gold to pay someone.

Unless a coin is minted by the treasury, it has no monetary value. Selling it to a precious metals dealer will get you real coinage in return...

HOWEVER since paper dollars are meaningless in value, I suggest finding out the composition of this quarter. If it contains better metals than the US quarter, it could be 'worth' more, but still in a legal trading environment, this is not valid tender.

PERIOD.

I haven't looked into the values of manganese and zinc, but oddly enough it appears that one US quarter dollar is worth the same or possibly more than one US dollar coin... A quarter dollar consists of 91% copper, while the dollar coin is 85% copper... Hmmm.

[ANGELDOGGIE]

What an awesome promotion!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope I find one of these quarters!!!