Fans, NFL flip over Super Bowl coin

MELBOURNE, Fla. (USA TODAY) -- Michael Kott doesn't really have a favorite in Sunday's Super Bowl.

But if the president and chief executive of The Highland Mint had the chance to pick his dream matchup it would be something along the lines of the Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers.

"Green Bay has a very loyal fan base," said Kott, whose company for the past 22 years has made the coin used in the Super Bowl's opening coin flip.

"And Peyton Manning and the Broncos were such a Cinderella story," Kott said. "With Peyton coming back from an injury and leading the Broncos, it would have been a great storyline."

Regardless of Kott's dream Super Bowl teams, ultimately he's just glad his Melbourne, Fla.,-based company gets to be part of it. He even gets a couple of tickets to one of the world's most popular sporting events, which this year is in New Orleans.

The Highland Mint commemorative, 1.5-inch diameter coin, not only will be used in the coin flip but also goes to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its Super Bowl XLVII display. The remaining 99 coins of the first 100 coins pressed are given to players and NFL dignitaries. The rest - about 9,900 - are sold to the public for $99.95.

The coins, made of silver with gold highlights, usually sell out, but with more popular teams with bigger fan bases, Kott sometimes also can sell special framed packages that might include a Super Bowl program, a piece of the turf, or a section of one of the game footballs.

Since opening its doors nearly a quarter-century ago, the privately held Highland Mint has been building up a sports commemorative company that makes coins and other products for all major sporting events and theme parks like Disney and Universal.

Its staff of about 120 people - sales, marketing and manufacturing employees - have shown they can maneuver their way successfully in the competitive, multi-billion dollar sports memorabilia and collectibles market.

Of late, that market has been soft, said Ted Taylor, adjunct professor of business communications at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. He also ran STAT Authentic, an authentication and appraisal company.

Taylor has high praise for The Highland Mint products but said it's a tough market out there for sports collectibles.

"The sports memorabilia business is down right now, probably because of the economy," Taylor said.

"I think it's going to come back. I mean, these things are not getting any newer. But my advice to people is that if they don't have to sell a particular item, then don't sell it."

Wayne T. Price, Florida Today