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Lebron James (Los Angeles Lakers)

MililaniBuckeye said:
Can you say "Mega child support"?
Great marketing angle... we'll tell LeBron we're making the offer to help him out...

HH.. what's the rule? do we have to know his name for the offer sheet? or can it be 'John Doe James'?
 
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LeBron James scores big in first quarter

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Cleveland star's image adorns 25-cent pieces in sports memorabilia
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[size=-1]By Mary Ethridge[/size]
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[size=-1]Beacon Journal business writer[/size]
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<!-- begin body-content --> In LeBron We Trust.

To many companies, including Nike and Sprite, LeBron James represents big money.

Now, thanks to a company, the money is representing James.

Authentic U.S. quarters emblazoned with full-color images of the basketball star are just the latest offering of LeBronabilia, a category that now includes lemon-flavored gum and a Sri Lankan postage stamp.

The Merrick Mint, a privately held company outside New York City, is marketing 10 different quarters at $17 each, plus shipping and handling.

But wait! There's more!

Fans can buy the complete set of 10 for $97, plus shipping and handling.

That's a savings of $73 compared to what you would pay for them individually.

And, hey, each quarter is still worth, well, 25 cents.

But wait! There's more!

The Merrick Mint is also selling two versions of a LeBron half dollar for $14.95 each.

The coin buyers aren't the only ones who will end up with money in their pockets from the deal. The Upper Deck Co., the NBA, LeBron's handlers and LeBron himself all get a cut of the action.

To make and market the colorized LeBron coins, the Merrick Mint had to pay a fee to Upper Deck. Upper Deck, the California-based collectibles company, owns the licensing rights for all NBA commemorative coins. Upper Deck had to pay the National Basketball Association for those rights. And the NBA, of course, pays LeBron and other players, who, in turn, pay their agents.

Got it?

Although no one will say what kind of money we're talking about, you can bet it's not being paid in quarters.

Whoever coined the phrase ``dumb jocks'' never worked in sports marketing.

The LeBron colorized coins were created by baking enamel paint images on the official Ohio quarter, which the U.S. Mint issued in 2002 as part of its 50-state series.

The state quarter series has been one of the most successful coin issues in U.S. Mint history, attracting 140,000 serious collectors since it began in 1999, according to U.S. Mint officials.

Gracing U.S. currency with the image of a sports star or anyone else is not illegal, but the U.S. Mint doesn't like it much. The mint ``does not encourage or support'' such efforts because some view it as disrespectful, according to an official statement on a Web page devoted to the colorized coin debate. It also renders the coin unusable as currency.

But Darryl Abromowitz, an owner of the Merrick Mint, said putting the image on a real coin makes it more appealing to collectors. People aren't going to throw out quarters the way they might a bobblehead doll or a commemorative medal, he said.

``That would be throwing money away,'' he said. ``People just don't do that.''

Merrick has already had great success with several colorized coins, including a Tennessee quarter featuring Elvis and a North Carolina quarter honoring the late NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, he said.

Merrick has been selling Michael Jordan coins since 1993, when the former NBA star was in his prime. Although they've been top sellers for more than a decade, Abromowitz expects LeBron James to give Jordan a run for his, um, money.

``Like I tell the people who carry our coins, if you can't sell LeBron James, you might as well close up shop,'' he said.

The Merrick Mint's colorized coins are currently available only through the company's Web site at merrickmint.com or by calling 1-800-932-2117. Abromowitz said he plans on offering them through national retail stores before the launch of the next professional basketball season.
 
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You bitter, bitter anti-St. V man. I think you need to order some for the entire family for Christmas.

This is one of those things you really wonder if it will have any value 100 years from now. I will not be purchasing any.
 
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According to the article, it's legal...which explains the painted silver dollars that have been selling in recent years. If you think it looks cool, buy some, but as a novelty, NOT an investment.

As one who dabbles in coins and has a few rare pieces I know enough to say LeBron's painting will be worthless 100 years from now...unlike the solid gold double eagles in my safe deposit box.
 
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