As the anticipation builds for the arrival of superhero coins and medals from the United States Mint, it’s a reminder of the place that popular culture plays in our lives.

I admit to a bias because my minor in college was popular culture, having gone to an institution that recognized the important role that leisure activities played in the grand scheme of things. Nothing like going to class to talk about how the yo-yo and the Frisbee influenced past generations.

While leisure activities change over time, the influence of the media remains strong through the test of time. Whether it is delivered through children’s books, comic books or electronic media on various screen sizes, it has a lasting impact.

Think about the movies that had an impact on your life. Recently, it was noted that the top grossing movie of 1975 was Jaws, which is now officially a 50-year-old classic. Soon thereafter came the word that Back to the Future was turning 40 this year. The wheels of time roll along. We’re already 10 years past the date they set as the future (Oct. 21, 2015) in the 1989 sequel.

The U.S. is getting into the idea of creating numismatic product centering on popular culture, an idea embraced by others for decades. When the afore-mentioned Back to the Future turned 30 in 2015, other minters produced coins for the occasion.

No significant anniversary led to the forthcoming U.S. Mint product, but an understanding that enduring icons of popular culture can draw favorable attention from those outside the numismatic hardcore. Simply put, it’s what sells, and a new audience is a target for every business that wants to be able to someday celebrate future anniversaries like these classic “films.” So, what will be the popular culture icons that will resonate with the product-buying public 50 years from now? Will Harry Potter endure, a likely candidate, or will there even be an interest?

About the only way to definitively answer the question is to jump into the DeLorean and set out for the future. But we’ll have to wait because the replacement flux capacitor is on back order.

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As the anticipation builds for the arrival of superhero coins and medals from the United States Mint, it’s a reminder of the place that popular culture plays in our lives.

I admit to a bias because my minor in college was popular culture, having gone to an institution that recognized the important role that leisure activities played in the grand scheme of things. Nothing like going to class to talk about how the yo-yo and the Frisbee influenced past generations.

While leisure activities change over time, the influence of the media remains strong through the test of time. Whether it is delivered through children’s books, comic books or electronic media on various screen sizes, it has a lasting impact.

Think about the movies that had an impact on your life. Recently, it was noted that the top grossing movie of 1975 was Jaws, which is now officially a 50-year-old classic. Soon thereafter came the word that Back to the Future was turning 40 this year. The wheels of time roll along. We’re already 10 years past the date they set as the future (Oct. 21, 2015) in the 1989 sequel.

The U.S. is getting into the idea of creating numismatic product centering on popular culture, an idea embraced by others for decades. When the afore-mentioned Back to the Future turned 30 in 2015, other minters produced coins for the occasion.

No significant anniversary led to the forthcoming U.S. Mint product, but an understanding that enduring icons of popular culture can draw favorable attention from those outside the numismatic hardcore. Simply put, it’s what sells, and a new audience is a target for every business that wants to be able to someday celebrate future anniversaries like these classic “films.” So, what will be the popular culture icons that will resonate with the product-buying public 50 years from now? Will Harry Potter endure, a likely candidate, or will there even be an interest?

About the only way to definitively answer the question is to jump into the DeLorean and set out for the future. But we’ll have to wait because the replacement flux capacitor is on back order.

Connect with Coin World:  
Sign up for our free eNewsletter
Access our Dealer Directory  
Like us on Facebook  
Follow us on X (Twitter)

Whether you’re a current subscriber or new, you can take advantage of the best offers on magazine subscriptions available in digital, print or both! Whether you want your issue every week or every month, there’s a subscription to meet your needs.