The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 32, August 12, 2007, Article 16

NEWSMAN FLIPS 1913 LIBERTY NICKEL ON AIR

[Donn Perlman reported the following incident on the Collectors
Universe coin forums.  -Editor]

"Thank goodness for 'Cointains.'

"Mark Concannon, a Milwaukee television anchorman, unexpectedly
flipped the Bebee/McDermott specimen 1913 Liberty Head nickel
during a live interview segment on WITI-TV's Fox 6 Wake Up News
program on Wednesday morning, August 8. (Yes, he'd been politely
informed before we went on the air that the "props" for the
interview could be handled, but with care.....)

"Dawn Haley, Director of External Affairs for the U.S. Treasury
Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and I were the
interview guests on the segment to promote the opening of the
ANA World's Fair of Money. She brought along a few eye-opening
items from the BEP's popular Billion Dollar Display including
Series 1934 Gold Certificate $100,000 notes and a $500 million
Treasury Bond. With the gracious permission of the ANA and the
assistance of ANA Money Museum Curator, Douglas Mudd, I had the
Bebee/McDermott 1913 nickel which is making its "homecoming"
appearance in Milwaukee for the first time in 40 years.

"During the interview, newscaster Concannon picked up the nickel
and flipped it in the air. Fortunately, it's in a Cointain protective
holder, and fortunately, Concannon caught it. A similar situation
occurred with me in the late 1990's when I was on KTLA-TV in Los
Angeles with Greg Roberts to show an 1894-S dime that was going
on display at the Long Beach Expo. Comedian Bill Cosby was also
on the set. During the live interview, the Cos came over to look
at the coin (it was in a PCGS holder), took a dime from his pocket,
put it on the table, picked up the '94-S and began doing a "Fat
Albert" walk off the set with the '94-S. It was very funny, and
after the segment he graciously posed for a photo holding the coin
(which was safely returned to Roberts.)

"Newscaster Concannon was enthusiastic about coin collecting and
genuinely interested in the items Haley and I brought for 'show 'n'
tell.' It was a great promotion for the ANA convention. As a
numismatist, I was briefly stunned by the coin flip. As a 30-year
broadcaster (before turning to The Dark Side of the Force, PR),
I knew it was 'good television.' But I hope that this was a TV
first that has no sequel...."

To read the complete article, see:
Full Story

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization 
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor 
at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum