[ PRO BOWL ]
Honolulu Mint
founder designs
Pro Bowl coinSteven Lee’s design will
be used for the
commemorative coin
Some say it's a fake game. But now Pro Bowl fans can get some real coin.
In celebration of the AFC and NFC All-Star game's 25th anniversary in Hawaii, the NFL commissioned the Honolulu Mint to produce an official game coin.
This marks the first time the referee will flip an official coin designed for the Pro Bowl to determine which team receives the opening kickoff.
"There have been many commemorative coins for Super Bowls over the years," said Henry Cordiano, who directs sales and marketing for the Honolulu Mint. "But never before for the Pro Bowl."
Cordiano said the coin is designed by Steven Lee, an award-winning jewelry designer from Hawaii. Lee's experience with minting coins goes back to working at the U.S. government's mint in San Francisco, before he founded the Honolulu Mint in 1985.
Lee has also designed jewelry for the Miss Hawaii contest, as well as precious metal memorabilia collectibles for the USS Missouri and Arizona Memorials, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library and other clients.
(The pictures of the coin on page B1 have reflections to display the coin's shininess, Cordiano said.)
So which side is heads and which is tails?
Cordiano said that's for the referee to decide at the time of the toss.
"But I can tell you the side with 'Pro Bowl' on it is the front," he said.
The coin that is tossed at midfield will be donated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Collectors can get a replica of the Pro Bowl coin at $49.95 (silver) or $920.00 (gold).
They are available now, and the best way to get them is to order via www.honolulu-mint.com on the Internet. Collectors can also call the mint at (808) 486-6468.
The 2004 Pro Bowl kicks off at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 8 at Aloha Stadium.
Players begin arriving Monday, the day after the Super Bowl, and the teams' practices each day at Aloha Stadium are open to the public.
A free Pro Bowl Festival will be held on Friday and Saturday at Kapiolani Park, including music, autograph sessions and prize giveaways. There will also be football clinics on several islands featuring NFL players.
Seahawks RB added to NFC roster: Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander was added to the Pro Bowl roster yesterday, an injury replacement for Deuce McAllister of the New Orleans Saints.
It will be the first Pro Bowl trip for Alexander, who will join four Seahawks teammates in Hawaii.
Tackle Walter Jones and special teams player Alex Bannister were named to the squad, and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and guard Steve Hutchinson were injury replacements.
Alexander finished with 16 touchdowns and a career-high 1,435 yards rushing in his fourth season. He had seven 100-yard games, another career high.
