Given the proliferation of special-interest cable channels during the last few years -- and, it sometimes seems, even the last few minutes! -- television nowadays really does offer something for everyone.

In my town in New Jersey, for example, TV addicts can get their daily fix from The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, The Weather Channel, The History Channel, The Travel Channel, the Sci-Fi Channel and The Family Channel -- not to mention SportsChannel, The Movie Channel, The Nashville Network, Comedy Central and the Eternal World Television Network.

It's like being a kid again in the neighborhood candy store -- except that penny candy was a whole lot cheaper than cable-TV.

One thing is missing, however, in this orgy of diversity: No one has yet established a network for numismatists -- a channel for collectors of coins and currency.

Who needs one, you ask? Good question, I suppose. Then again, who really needs a TV Food Network? Surely there would be at least as much reason for a Numismatic Broadcasting Channel (NBC) or a Coin News Network (CNN).

One holdup, I suspect, is the lack of suitable programs. I've given some thought to the matter and come up with a list of shows that I believe would be surefire hits with TV- watching hobbyists. If the titles sound familiar, that's because I've based them on actual TV shows, present and past.

Following are synopses of the shows. See if you agree that these would be must viewing in your living room -- keeping in mind, of course, that my tongue is planted firmly in my cheek.

• "Unslabbed Mysteries." A weekly report on coins that have been rejected by the Professional Coin Grading Service. Based on genuine case histories taken from the files of PCGS, this series would explore the tawdry world of coin doctors, telemarketers and other nefarious villains and dramatize efforts to track down the despicable products they purvey. In short, it would reveal the coin market's "raw" underside.
• "The XF Files." A probing examination of coins that didn't quite make the grade, giving viewers a look at the real-life experiences that left these coins with scratches, nicks, gouges, dings and overall wear and tear. Viewers with faint hearts would probably prefer the more genteel stories on "MS-terpiece Theater," a drama show dealing with coins that have led sheltered lives above the rough and tumble of the harsh, workaday world.
• "I Love Lucite." A how-to program on the many exciting ways to preserve and display all of your favorite coins in hunks of lucite.
• "Fantasy Islands." A travelogue on the scenic Marshall Islands, showing how the economy has boomed in recent years since coconuts and copra gave way to fantasy coins as the leading source of revenue for the islanders. The program would show how two of the Marshall islands -- Bikini and Eniwetok -- served as sites for atomic-bomb experiments following World War II. This might help viewers appreciate why Marshall Islands coins are among the biggest bombs in the current market.
• "The 64 Dollar Question." An adventure show following the exploits of dealers and collectors who crack their certified coins out of their plastic slabs in an effort to get them upgraded from Mint State-64 to 65. In some cases, the jump in value from MS-64 to MS-65 is actually so great that the program might better be called "The 64-THOUSAND Dollar Question."
• "Suddenly Susan." A comedy of errors built around the story of the Susan B. Anthony dollar. Various episodes would deal with such hilarious misadventures as the U.S. Mint's pre-issue planning, preparation of the design, actual release of the coin -- and, of course, the American public's reaction. A running gag would be the exasperation etched on consumers' faces as they kept mistaking the dollar for a quarter.