All About Photomints

By Dee Dee Smith

What are photomints?

Photomints are very popular sports collectibles.  Minting (photominting) companies create photomints by putting together photos and mint coins to create commemorative pieces.  These pieces might be reflective of an individual career, team or a special sporting event such as the NBA Finals, World Series or Super Bowl.  Photomints might include a collection of personal, team or event photos (autographed or not autographed), team or league coins or other commemorative items such as pieces of game nets, jerseys, footballs, etc.

Personal Career Photomint -  Many photomints commemorate and pay tribute to individual careers or career accomplishments.  These photomints might include a collage of career photos, stadium coins, team patches and jersey swatches.  The Derek Jeter Mega Photomint pays tribute to Jeter's career with many commemorative photos.  There is one with Jeter as Rookie of the Year, and several from various World Series Championships.  Additional items include a 24kt gold overlay Yankee Stadium coin, and a piece of a game bat. 

Team/Event Photomint - Other photo mints commemorate a championship team or special sporting event.  These photo mints might include a photo or collection of photos, a championship/league coin and/or possibly dirt from the field.  The New York Giants Super Bowl Photomint houses an image of the Giants Stadium along with four 24kt gold plated coins.  The mint coins are a Super Bowl XXI flip coin, Super Bowl XXV flip coin, New York Giants team coin and an NFL coin. 

Etched Glass Photomints - Some special touches on photomints might include laser etched engravings in the glass front panel.  Crafted by talented artisans, these detailed engravings commemorate famous sports landmarks such as the Hall of Fame Building, Fenway Park or Shea Stadium.  These are stunning collectibles.  The Dan Marino Hall of Fame Etched Glass Photomint has an etched engraving of the NFL Hall of Fame on the glass front panel, along with a photo of Dan Marino, a Marino Hall of Fame Induction coin, and an NFL shield logo coin all in double matting.   

Sporting Venue Photomints - A few photomints commemorate and pay tribute to famous sports stadiums or landmarks.  The Cleveland Browns Stadium Photomint commemorates the home of the Cleveland Browns with a photo, Cleveland Browns team coin and an NFL coin. 

How are photomints made? 

The artist/designer first determines what will be included in the photomint.  Many times this is based upon the theme/subject of the piece.  Some of the items put in a photo mint include:

·         Photos/Images

·         Infield Dirt Coins

·         Commemorative/Gold Coins

·         Team Logos

·         Fragments of used game items/equipment

All items to be included are gathered together.  The photomint artist may also use custom headers, banners or nameplates to complete the design.  Once the layout is complete, the items are double or even triple matted in team/complimentary colors.  The final touch is the addition of a numbered certificate of authenticity.  Certificates might also include pertinent data such as team statistics, scores, player bios, franchise history, etc.  An artist will then layout the items in a complimentary manner. 

Minting Companies/Collecting Photomints

One of the most popular and reputable minting (photomint making) companies is Highland Mint.  Highland Mint, headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, began as producers of bronze, silver and gold mint coins.  The company has since expanded their product line to include sports collectibles such as mint coins and photomints.  The Highland Mint company currently holds licenses from all of the major sports leagues including the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL) and the National Hockey League (NHL).   Consequently many photomints are also officially licensed by these major sports leagues as well as other reputable sports entities like the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

Photomints are sold as limited editions.   Limited edition simply means that only a certain number of these custom pieces were, or ever will be created.  The number of pieces is determined by the production company.  From a collector’s point of view, this means the fewer pieces on the market, the more rare and possibly valuable the piece.  It’s simple economics - the more supply, the less the demand, the fewer the supply, the more the demand.