Promotional Gold?(At least Silver)
Prepare for the search for the Silver Surfer as legal tender. (Updated 5/23)
Thanks to Grant for tipping me off on this.
Here's the text in case the link above is flooded:
FANTASTIC FOUR GETS SILVER PROMOTION
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.
Updates: I did dig up some more info via the Newsarama thread:
According to Lori Burns' office at FOX, the quarters will indeed be distributed in retail outlets. They'll be out there as regular quarters, and if you notice you got one, that's cool, and if you don't care, it's a perfectly good quarter. And further, the physical ownership of the quarter is NOT REQUIRED to sign up for the online contests. It's a promotional product only, and simply gives you the address to log onto (http://www.riseofthesilversurfer.com).Additionally, it appears that the Silver Surfer, etc. is a paint effect overlaid on a 2005 California Quarter.
Here's a high-res image of one of the coins. (Click for a larger image.)
Oh, and I see that the first wave of ebay sales is underway.
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