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Super Bowl Sunday is almost here. This weekend, the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots in Arizona. And what’s the very first thing done on the football field? A coin is tossed, and a team picks heads or tails. If you love football, and you love coins, then the Super Bowl coin toss coin is the rare item that marries these two interests seamlessly. Here is everything you need to know about the official Super Bowl coin.
Last year, the Seahawks correctly guessed tails at the start of the big game. Their overall record is 2-0 in Super Bowl coin tosses, while the Patriots have fared much worse at 2-5. This year will be a heads and tails tiebreaker, because in the past 48 Super Bowls, there have been 24 heads and 24 tails! And 24 of the coin tosses have been called correctly. But the coin toss itself wouldn’t be possible without the coin. So what’s the story behind the most important coin in America the moment before kickoff?
The Highland Mint in Melbourne, Florida, is responsible for minting the Super Bowl coin toss coin. This is the 23rd time the Highland Mint has produced the coin for the Super Bowl. One of the few mints that can legally produce NFL merchandise, the Florida-based mint has also produced commemorative NFL coins of all kinds. In addition to the official game coin, 99 replicas will be minted and split between the two teams. Another 9,900 coins will be minted and available for public purchase.
“The Super Bowl is considered the single biggest sports event of the year, so it’s fun to be able to say, ‘The game doesn’t start without us,'” said chief executive officer of the Highland Mint, Michael Kott. “Being a part of this huge annual event with all its excitement and pageantry is very meaningful to us. Year after year, it never gets old.”
Commemorative Super Bowl coins almost always sell out. With Seattle’s fervent fan base, this year should be no different. The coin is handsomely designed, about the size of a silver dollar, and made of 24-karat gold with a silver overlay. On the obverse side, the Seahawks and Patriots logos face off with the Vince Lombardi trophy in the background. The reverse of the coin shows the University of Phoenix stadium, along with the date of this year’s Super Bowl, February 1, 2015.
It’s not often that numismatics and sports can be combined in such a meaningful way. It’s even less often that it’s your home team being honored with a nationally coveted coin. And, oh yeah, GO HAWKS!
Bellevue Rare Coins specializes in gold buying and dealing in rare coins. We are a family-owned business located in Bellevue and Lynnwood. We are also silver, diamonds, currency and jewelry buyers. Visit us for a free evaluation.
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