The Super Bowl coin doesn’t just disappear after that quick flip at midfield – it’s treated as a piece of premium memorabilia and, in some years, even as a small slice of history.

So… what actually happens to it?

In most modern Super Bowls, the specially minted flip coin (often produced in limited numbers by a private mint) is:

  • Used once for the opening toss, then taken back by the officials.
  • Logged, authenticated, and treated as a game-used artifact, not a random pocket coin.

From there, one of a few things usually happens:

  1. Hall of Fame / museum display
    • NFL fans and collectors on forums and Q&A sites consistently report that the “actual” flip coin typically ends up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or an NFL-controlled collection, where it can be displayed as part of Super Bowl history exhibits.
  1. Auctioned for charity or team use
    • The NFL authenticates a batch of game-used items (including the coin) and sends some to league auctions, with proceeds going to NFL and team charities.
 * Any remaining authenticated items are divided between the two participating teams for their own collections, displays, or fundraising events.
  1. Special cases (like 2026)
    • For Super Bowl 2026, the “coin” is actually a restruck historic medal (a Libertas Americana piece tied to the U.S. 250th anniversary).
 * The NFL owns this particular medal/coin and plans to donate it to the Smithsonian after the game so it can go into the national numismatic collection and be exhibited there.

What about all the other “Super Bowl coins”?

The flip coin you see on the field is usually one of a limited run made for that game, often with:

  • A unique design for that Super Bowl (logos, matchup, date).
  • Serialization and a clear distinction between the one actually flipped and thousands of nearly identical commemorative pieces sold to fans.

Those extra coins typically:

  • Are sold as official memorabilia to the public by the mint or NFL partners.
  • May be given to VIPs, team personnel, or used in promotions.

Quick recap: “What happens to the Super Bowl coin?”

  • The exact coin flipped is treated as a historic game-used item.
  • It is usually preserved in a Hall of Fame or league/team collection , or auctioned for charity.
  • In special years (like the 250th-anniversary medal), it can be donated to major museums such as the Smithsonian.
  • Fans mostly buy matching commemorative coins , not the actual game-used one.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.