US Mint Unhappy With Surfer
U.S Mint unhappy with Silver Surfer quarter BY: Actress Archives | Saturday, May 26, 2007 ADVERTISEMENT Movie marketing has always been invasive, original and groundbreaking. With the summer of 2007 promising billions in box office dollars, movies and movie studios are looking for any and every way to market their movie to the masses. 20th Century Fox came up with idea of imprinting a picture of the Silver Surfer on the back of quarters to promote Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but that marketing campaign isn't sitting well with the U.S. Mint. The Marvel Comics character, Silver Surfer, may be giving George Washington some company on the quarter, but the U.S. Mint is less than pleased. 20th Century Fox and The Franklin Mint have altered 40,000 quarters to feature the Silver Surfer as part of a marketing campaign. However, once news of the ad campaign reached the U.S. Mint, the department in charge of the nation's currency issued a news release on Friday in order to inform 20th Century Fox and The Franklin Mint that what they were doing is illegal. In the United States, it is illegal to turn acoin into an advertising vehicle, and as a result, both 20th Century Fox and The Franklin Mint face a fine. The statement from the U.S. Mint was quoted by the Associated Press as reading, "The promotion is in no way approved, authorized, endorsed, or sponsored by the United States Mint, nor is it in any way associated or affiliated with the United States Mint." The statement did not say whether 20th Century Fox or The Franklin Mint would face a fine in this particular case. The quarters used for the publicity stunt are California state commemorative quarters minted by the U.S. Mint in 2005. The quarters were then color-enhanced by the Franklin Mint, with the side opposite George Washington featuring an image of the Silver Surfer and a web address for the film's web site in small print. Those lucky enough to find one of the 40,000 quarters are eligible to enter the Search 4 Silver campaign, with winners earning a trip to the world premiere of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer in London. The second Fantastic Four film opens in theatres in the U.S. on June 15 and stars Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis and Julian McMahon. In total, 800 coins were released in each of the 50 states in the United States by the end of the Memorial Day long weekend. While the Franklin Mint had been accused of violating U.S. law by altering the coins, they released a statement to the AP saying that, "We are very, very protective of the currency of this country. Our goal was to enhance the coin," rather than removing the integrity of the coin. The Franklin Mint stated they neither they nor 20th Century Fox intended to violate any laws or, "suggest that there was any approval from the U.S. Mint or the U.S. Government," for the Silver Surfer quarters. The Chairman for The Franklin Mint, Moshe Malamud, said, "These are commemorative coins like many the Franklin Mint creates on a regular basis for various properties. We were confident this coin followed the same procedures and guidelines but will certainly take any necessary steps if advised otherwise." http://www.actressarchives.com/news.php?id=5824