NNP

The E-Sylum: Volume 9, Number 21, May 21, 2006, Article 24

NEW ARTICLE ON SCOTT TRAVERS' COIN DROP

Recently we discussed Scott Travers' "Penny drop" Coin Week
publicity stunt. The popular press continues to pick up on the
story. The latest article comes from The Record of Hackensack,
New Jersey:

"I just wanted to put a little magic into everyday life," said
Mr. Travers, a rare-coin expert based in New York.

Last month, in Times Square, he gave a practical demonstration
of the idea by deliberately putting three of his valuable rare
pennies worth a total of $1,500 into circulation."

"This was in mid-April, on two days, amid a media circus atmosphere
of photographers clicking and reporters pontificating. The hapless
vendors, meanwhile, apparently had no idea what was going on.

"We told them I was a visiting celebrity from Canada," Mr. Travers
says."

"... he hopes he sparked far more coin mania through his
much-publicized spending spree in Times Square. He says he's
gotten more than 3,000 telephone calls from people all around
the world who want to know whether they've found one of the
lucky pennies.

"People get on the Internet," he said. "They call directory
assistance. I had someone call me from Russia who saw it on
CNN in Russia."

"If Mr. Travers has not precisely become the Willy Wonka of
the numismatic world, setting multitudes scrambling for his
three little golden tickets, he has at least caused countless
people to be a little more alert to the wonders hidden in
everyday life."

"Mr. Travers can't help but feel some sympathy for the Times
Square food vendor who unknowingly accepted the $1,000 coin
last month – grumbling all the while about the photographers
who were unaccountably snapping pictures of the exchange."

To read the complete article, see: Full Story

Ken Hallenbeck adds: "I saw Scott Travers on television
recently being interviewed about TV sales of common coins,
gold plated ones. etc. He did a great job in calling a spade
a spade. Congratulations to Scott on a job well done. Too
bad we can't do much to stop those kinds of rip-offs."