HIGHLAND MINT MAKES SUPERBOWL LVI COINS

 

Everyone has a favorite part of their annual Super Bowl viewing experience, whether it be the game, halftime show, commercials or even a combination of all of those things.

But for Brevard residents, the pre-game coin toss may just have a little more meaning.

Indeed, the coin used to determine which team will get the ball first and which end of the field each team will defend in Super Bowl LVI is produced by The Highland Mint, located at 4100 N. Riverside Dr. in beachside Melbourne.

Obviously it gives us a different perspective on watching the game and especially not missing the coin toss, but it's nice to know that the game doesn't start without us and it's really an honor to be a part of the biggest football game of the year or maybe the biggest sporting event of the year, said Vincent Bohbot, executive vice president of The Highland Mint.

Mr. Bohbot said that the coin measures 39 mm in diameter, which he added was about the size of a U.S. silver dollar and weighs approximately 1 oz. He also noted that the coin is silver-plated and selectively-plated with 24-karat gold, which gives off what he refers to as a two-tone effect.

He also stated that prior to the conference championship games, which determine which two teams will play in the Super Bowl, coins representing the four possibilities for games are readied.

The day after the championship games and we know the final two teams, we go into production immediately and the first 100 coins go to the NFL and it's our understanding that the referee gets 00 and No. 1 and in some cases or most years No. 1, the coin that's used for the coin toss, goes to the Hall of Fame, Mr. Bohbot said. Last year however, they (the NFL) decided to auction off the coin that they use for the coin toss and it auctioned off for $13,000.

 

Mr. Bohbot said he believed that The Highland Mint first began producing the coin used at the pre-game coin toss in the 1993 Super Bowl XXVII where the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills 52-17.

I just want to say that we have nothing to do with the outcome on which side it's going to fall, said Mr. Bohbot, jokingly. So it's not our fault if it doesn't go to your team.

Another coin produced by The Highland Mint would be used once again in the event the game goes into overtime, as it did memorably in Super Bowl LI when the New England Patriots won the overtime coin toss and promptly scored a game-winning touchdown to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.

Overtime would be fantastic because again, they have a coin toss and supposedly they pull out coin 000 for the coin toss and it's only been used once over all these years, Mr. Bohbot added.

"Those interested in purchasing a replica of the coin are able to through The Highland Mint as well," Mr. Bohbot noted.

To read the complete article, see:
Super Bowl coin produced Highland Mint (https://www.hometownnewsbrevard.com/news/super-bowl-coin-produced-highland-mint/article_837b1d34-89ba-11ec-8dc8-c7a235d53a95.html)

When the NFC Championship game ended at about 10 p.m. on Jan. 30, most people likely went to bed or took to social media to share their thoughts on the upcoming Rams-Bengals Super Bowl.

Not so for the workers of the Highland Mint.

As soon as Cincinnati and Los Angeles cemented their spots in the Super Bowl matchup, things began to crank up at the Melbourne-based facility that makes the official flip coin used before the start of the Super Bowl.

We go into production right after the game. We'll be here in the fourth quarter just getting ready, said Vince Bohbot, executive vice president for the Highland Mint. The minting happens at 11 p.m. after the game because we already know the first orders that need to go out and we're shipping product out immediately first thing Monday morning. We'll have a crew that starts putting product together around 4 a.m. so by 4 p.m. we'll have a maximum number of goods leaving the facility.

It's a quick turnaround, but time is money.

The Highland Mint will make 10,000 flip coins, with Nos. 1-100 going to the NFL.

The first Super Bowl to use a Highland Mint coin was on Jan. 30, 1994, when Dallas faced Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVIII.

It begs the question: What was the NFL using before the Highland Mint began providing coins?

Nobody knew what they used for the flip coin, they used quarters or whoever had whatever in their pockets, Bohbot said. They decided to make it very exclusive and special and so now it's become such a big part of the pregame ceremony.

To read the complete article, see:
You can bet on it. Super Bowl coin minted in Melbourne will take center stage Feb. 13 (https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2022/02/08/heads-tails-highland-mints-super-bowl-flip-coin-has-big-impact/6662370001/)

To read the complete article, see:
The Super Bowl Coin Toss Has a Dark Secret (https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-super-bowl-coin-toss/)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web