Please, Cash4Gold, don't hurt 'em.

Photos: Matt Sayles / Associated Press; Jeff Chiu / Associated Press

Cash4Gold.com, the "As Seen On TV" meltdown factory that solicits baggies of your unused chains, rings, coins and earrings in exchange for a bit of quick cash, has kicked a PR field goal.

The company said today it had signed Ed McMahon and MC Hammer to star in a commercial for Sunday's Super Bowl, one of the last few slots NBC had available. Hammer will bring a veteran's touch to the endeavor, having starred in this Lay's Super Bowl spot in 2005. And McMahon is no stranger to corporate sponsorship himself. In fact, when they finally establish the Hall O' Fame for Eazy Money Infomercials, Cash4Gold may end up right alongside McMahon alma mater Publishers Clearing House.

It's not clear to me whether there's an intentional ironic element here, given that both Hammer and McMahon are famous for their serious financial woes. Hammer blew through a multimillion-dollar fortune in a few years, and McMahon recently contended with a near-foreclosure on his Beverly Hills home.

On the other hand, it could be a brilliant sympathy play. Times are just as tough for these faded stars as they are for average Americans. Which is why, obviously, we should all dross our valuables.

"As a nation, we are in uncharted economic territory, and Cash4Gold’s rapid growth is a clear indicator of our new reality," CEO Jeff Aronson said in a press release trumpeting the signings. “Since the credit and housing market collapses, Americans are feeling strapped for cash. Cash4Gold.com has become the reliable source of fast cash for anyone who needs it, without driving them any further into debt.”

For his part, Hammer seems excited about the whole affair. He sent out a tweet today noting he was on his way to Tampa: "Got to work that SuperBowl.... 'Melting Gold Baby' .... fun commercial !!!"

Let's hope that he was just typing hastily there, and that the commercial isn't actually called "Melting Gold Baby." That would be an immodest proposal indeed.

-- David Sarno