The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The silver and gold Flin Flin coins jingling around in our pockets won't be legal tender as of midnight tomorrow. The $3 coins have been accepted at most area businesses since their October 2003 release by the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce and City of Flin Flon. The plan was that the bi-metal coins, which feature Flintabbatey Flonaton on one side and the City of Flin Flon emblem on the other, would no longer be valid currency after September 30, 2004. Chamber past-president Dave Kendall said the organization will buy back any remaining coins from the banks and then discuss what to do with them. Among other possibilities, the coins could be sold to collectors or kept as giveaways for various chamber events. A total of 10,000 coins were minted, and Kendall estimates the chamber will buy back between 500 and 1,000. He said the chamber will turn a profit but won't know how much until the leftovers are purchased. The City agreed to pay the upfront costs of having the coins minted ? roughly $1 per coin, and the chamber has already repaid that amount. The production of the coins once again proved the local popularity of Flintabbatey Flonatin, affectionately known simply as Flinty. Over the years, the fictitious professor has also appeared on items such as hats, T-shirts and lapel pins.
