Coins on Television, 1973 "Hawaii Five-O" episode "The $100,000 Nickel"

willieboyd2 · Feb 4, 2013

The Holy Grail of coin-related television shows.

I have a section of my website entitled "Coins in Movies", and I split off a section called "Coins on Television".

There is a famous television episode that I have seen often posted in coin collector internet boards.

The 1973 "Hawaii Five-O" episode "The $100,000 Nickel", about an attempt to steal a rare 1913 Liberty Head nickel.

I finally decided to purchase a DVD of the episode, I had to buy the entire CBS Season 6 DVD set, 6 DVDs with 24 episodes.
The DVDs were very well made, and included the original episode introductions.

My main coin interests are non-United States coins, ancient coins, and tokens, but I have, of course, seen articles about the famous nickels.

I found the story interesting, especially watching how a coin show operated in 1973, before MS grading became popular and coin dealers wore suits.

Hawaii Five-O title

"Hawaii Five-O" was an American television show which ran from 1968 to 1980.

The production was a police drama about Hawaii Five-O, a Hawaii state police unit specializing in serious crimes.
Steve McGarrett was the chief, Dan Williams his assistant, Officers Ben and Chin Ho also worked there.
The show was produced by Leonard Freeman Production and the CBS Television Network.

The show starred Jack Lord as Det. Steve McGarrett, James MacArthur as Dan Williams,
Al Harrington as Ben, Kam Fong as Chin Ho.

This episode "The $100,000 Nickel" was first broadcast on December 11, 1973, during the sixth season.
The story was about a master criminal who organizes the theft of an extremely rare 1913 Liberty Head nickel.

The episode starred Hildy Brooks as Millie Price, Eugene Troobnick as Arnie Price, James Grahlmann as Paul Anthony, and Victor Buono as Eric Damien.
The director was Allen Reisner and the writer was Dick Nelson.

The show credited two rare coin dealers at the end:
Rare Coins courtesy of ....
United National Coin Corporation, Beverly Hills, California
World Wide Coin Investments, Limited, Atlanta, Georgia

The story:

Eric Damien is an international criminal who likes to commit high-publicity crimes.
He is a very heavy man, and in size and personality, somewhat reminiscent of Sydney Greenstreet in the film "The Maltese Falcon".

He has landed in Hawaii with an assistant, a hired killer named Paul Anthony.
Damien has never been caught because he eliminates his accomplices after a caper.
He has hired Henry Andecker, a convicted counterfeiter and engraver, to convert a 1903 nickel into a rare 1913 nickel.

The first scenes alternate between a forger creating a fake nickel and a coin show.

Forger using 1903 nickel to create fake 1913 nickel

The Ilikai Hotel is hosting a coin show and auction.
Motorcycle policemen escort coin dealer carring the rare nickel to the hotel.

Hotel welcome sign

Welcome, Numismatists
PACIFIC COIN CONVENTION
COIN BOURSE and AUCTION - PACIFIC BALLROOM

In the next scene, the forger is heating the 1903 nickel so that a '1' can cover the '0'.

The forger is heating the coin

The coin dealer arrives with the real nickel, under heavy guard.
The coin is in an attache case handcuffed to the dealer.

Coin dealer Haviland and police escort

The fake 1913 Liberty Head nickel

At the hotel the dealer has the coin placed in the hotel safe overnight.

The dealer hands the coin to the hotel safe manager

The real 1913 Liberty Head nickel

The coin forger Andecker is bragging about his work to someone, and asking for his $1,000.

Forger Andecker holding the fake nickel

The other person has a gun, this looks bad for Andecker.

Paul Anthony

Paul picks up the nickel and then shoots and kills Andecker, leaving his body on a sidewalk.
The episode title then appears.

Episode title

Hawaii Five-O officers McGarrett and Dan arrive to investigate the shooting.

McGarrett and Dan arrive

A police detective finds that the killer used "mercury core" bullets, McGarrett states that he is a professional, a "pro's pro".

Arnie Price, a former carnival worker, is being held in jail for running a booth where he used sleight-of-hand techniques to trick customers out of currency bills by swapping low bills for high ones.
Arnie is bailed out by Paul.

Arnie being bailed out of jail

Paul drives Arnie to a beachfront where he meets his wife Millie.

Millie and Arnie

Arnie and Millie meet the "Mr. Big" of the operation.

Eric Damien

Damien and Paul invite the couple to a beachfront lunch.

Millie, Arnie, Paul, and Damien at the table

Damien introduces himself and discusses Arnie's abilities.
He asks Arnie if he can manipulate coins as well as bills, and whether he can do it while wearing gloves.
Arnie says that he can.

Damien wants Arnie to go to a coin show and auction, and swap a fake nickel for a genuine one being auctioned by a coin dealer named Haviland.
Damien has arranged for Arnie to have fake credentials as a wealthy coin collector.

Damien promises to pay Arnie $10,000 for the job.
Millie tries to convince Arnie not to do it but Arnie wants the money to "start fresh".
Arnie and Millie head for their hotel to discuss the situation.

Back at the hotel coin show, the real nickel is put into a hotel safe.
A series of rare American coin obverses and reverses are shown, with their values.
Here are two of them:

Gold Stella four-dollar 1879 obverse

Gold Panama-Pacific Expo Round $50 1915 obverse

The coins shown in the sequence are:
Four-dollar gold Stella 1879 - $18,000
Octagonal Panama-Pacific Expo $50 1915 gold - $15,000
Round Panama-Pacific Expo $50 1915 gold - $15,000
Silver Dollar 1796 - $20,000
Liberty Cap gold Eagle 1795 - $12,000

Arnie and Millie arrive at the coin show, Arnie meets the dealer, his credentials as a wealthy coin collector appear to be in order, and the dealer allows him to examine the nickel.
McGarrett and his crew are also at the show.

Arnie looks at the nickel

Millie shows a bit of leg to distract the dealer, and Arnie makes the switch.

Distraction

Arnie does the coin swap.

The swap

Arnie walks through the show bourse (sales area) after completing the swap.

Mission accomplished, maybe

The dealer has discovered that he now has a fake coin and called the Five-O officers.
Arnie walks towards the door, but is stopped by a policeman who tells him that no one is allowed to leave the building.

Policeman stops Arnie

Arnie figures that something is wrong and needs to dispose of the now "hot" coin.
Some newspaper racks give Arnie an idea.

Newspaper racks

Arnie, deposits the real coin into a newspaper rack.

The nickel goes in
The coin shown is a 1910 nickel.

McGarrett talks to the dealer, who is upset at losing such a rare coin.
The dealer gives a list of names of people who handled the coin to McGarrett.

McGarrett and dealer

Dealer:
Can you get the real one back, Mr. McGarrett?
There are only five in existence.
Do you understand what means?
To have a coin of such fantastic rarity in my trust, and to just let someone walk away with it.
McGarrett:
We'll do what we can.

After a while, people are cleared to leave the hotel.
McGarrett has credentials of people who handled nickel checked.

Arnie and Millie watch the newspaper rack and finally the vendor shows up and opens the newspaper rack to retrieve the coins.

Vendor opening newspaper rack

He opens the rack and loads the change into a cloth bag, which he takes to his car.

Meanwhile, McGarrett receives a report that one of the people who handled the coin was using false identification.

McGarrett receives report

Arnie's credentials prove to be false, and an officer reports that he was bailed out of jail.
His record as a sleight-of-hand artist is now known and an arrest warrant is issued for Arnie.

Arnie and Millie follow the news vendor to an alley where Arnie runs up and grabs the bag.
The vendor pulls a gun and they struggle, with the vendor getting shot.

Arnie fighting with the vendor

The coin bag spills the coins onto the street.
Arnie wants to stay and pick up the coins but Millie is urging him to leave before somebody reports the gunshot and the police arrive.

Arnie picks up spilled change

McGarrett learns that there has been no contact with insurance company, so the coin wasn't stolen to sell back to the company.

McGarrett receives the news

McGarrett:
And you checked Haviland's insurance company?
Officer:
Yes, no one's contacted them.
McGarrett:
Well, I guess the thief isn't planning to try to peddle the coin back.

Damien is waiting for Arnie's telephone call, it has been too long after Arnie went to the hotel.
He gets worried and sends his man to Arnie's hotel.

Damien waits for Arnie's call

The police laboratory confirms the mercury core bullets killed Andecker, and that the bullets were made in Belgium or Germany.
A criminal record check finds Andecker's conviction in Europe for forging stock certificates, which would mean that he was an engraver.
McGarrett believes that the Andecker killing was connected with the fake coin.
McGarrett and Dan learn of the vendor shooting for $50 in change and connect this to the coin.

McGarrett and Dan

McGarrett had heard of a master criminal Eric Damien from previous reports, and he suspects that he is behind the crimes.
McGarrett calls Hans Vogler of Interpol in Zurich, and receives a photograph of Damien.
Vogler warns McGarrett that Damien is accompanied by a professional killer.
McGarrett vows to pass out copies of the photo so that police will recognize his "pudgy mug".

McGarrett pays a visit to Damien to "welcome" him to the islands.
They have a short conversation, McGarrett asking him about the dead forger and the coin theft.
Damien claims to know nothing.
McGarrett has brought a search warrant.

Damien finds unexpected guest McGarrett

Damien and McGarrett trade quips

Damien:
Well, what did you expect to find?
McGarrett:
A nickel.
Just a nickel.
Or maybe a clue or two regarding the death of an engraver.
Am I getting through?
Damien:
Naturally, I'm spellbound.
McGarrett:
I feel like a mongoose watching a cobra.
I've been reading up on your international exploits, Mr. Damien.
One thing puzzles me.
Damien:
Yes. What is that?
The way you use up, or should I say waste, hired people.
Damien:
You've made a dull day brighter.
I come to Hawaii for a holiday and find myself challenged to some monstrous battle of wits.
McGarrett:
Don't forget that this my rock you're on, Mr. Damien.
One last thing. Remember, the mongoose always wins.

Arnie and Millie return to the alley and pick up some more spilled coins, then an old man and his grandson come by.
The grandson picks up a coin and hands it to his grandfather, who says, "1913, that's the year I was born".

Child and grandfather find the nickel

Child:
Look, Grandpa, money.
Grandpa:
Nickel, 1913.
That's the year I was born.

Millie hears this and the pair follow them.
They head to a store where the child buys some candy.

Child buys candy

Millie and Arnie watch the store

A woman gets some change and the pair watch her possibly put it into a vending machine.

Woman and vending machine

Arnie asks Millie to put other coins into the machine hoping to pop out the nickel, while Arnie follows the woman to a restaurant.
A thief steals the woman's purse, Arnie chases the thief, recovers the purse, but it does not contain the nickel.
Millie reports that the vending machine didn't have it either, and the pair give up and head for a bar.

Arnie and Millie in the bar
They are wearing matching green outfits.

Arnie orders two drinks, "Scotch on the rocks", for $1.30 and pays $2.00.
The bartender gives them change on the table, and the 1913 nickel is there.

Change on the table
The nickel is joined by a 1968 silver Kennedy half dollar, still in circulation then.

Found it!

They wonder where the nickel came from and a man from the store who must have had it.
They finish their drinks, and walk out.
A police car pulls up and the police arrest Arnie for the shooting.

Arnie busted

Arnie is taken to police headquarters and then to McGarrett's office.

Police headquarters

McGarrett talks to Arnie

McGarrett tells Arnie that although he is "small time", he is in "big trouble", but "lucky" as the vendor who was shot has survived and Arnie won't face a murder charge.

McGarrett also lets Arnie know about Damien's penchant for eliminating people who work for him.

Arnie hands over the nickel

McGarrett persuades Arnie to call Damien and set up a meeting.
Damien and his man have kidnapped Millie and the three are riding in a car.
Damien has a "mobile phone" in a suitcase.

The mobile phone
The flashing red light means it is on.

Damien takes the call and proposes that they meet at a cement plant.
Arnie shows up and is ordered into the car.
Damien asks for and receives Arnie's nickel.
Damien notices Officer Chin following him in a car.

Officer Chin Ho follows the car

Paul is driving the car with Damien and Millie.

Millie, Damien, and Paul in the car

Damien has a clock attached to a time bomb in his mobile phone suitcase, and he turns it on.

Damien turns on the time bomb

Damien then has the car stopped and he gets out.
Paul is driving the car and he fires a pistol at Chin's car.
Arnie grabs hold of Paul and they struggle, causing the car to swerve around.

Arnie and Paul fight over car

They were headed for the same place that they had lunch at the beginning, but go into the water.

Car in the water

The three are slightly injured, McGarrett and his crew pull up and take them into custody.
The car bomb explodes.

Car explodes

Millie and Arnie have some blood and Millie, realizing that he saved her life from Damien's killer, says "Arnie, I love you".

"I love you, Arnie"

McGarrett and his crew head for Damien's house and arrest him.
Damien hands the nickel he got from Arnie over to McGarrett.

Damien hands over the nickel

McGarrett:
I'm afraid your plane will be leaving without you, Mr. Damien, but there will be another one along in 20 years.
Damien:
I presume you'll be wanting this.
McGarrett:
This isn't worth a plugged nickel.

Damien gives McGarrett the nickel, but McGarrett says it is worthless, and uses sleight-of-hand to pluck the real nickel from Damien's ear.

McGarrett finds the real nickel

McGarrett: This is the one we're looking for.

McGarrett gives the final line:
Book them!

Notes:

This episode was set and filmed in Honolulu, Hawaii, but it could have been set in any large American city.

The 1913 nickel used in the film was the "Olsen specimen", once owned by a Fred Olsen and also by King Farouk of Egypt.
World Wide Coin Investments bought it in 1972 for $100,000 and the publicity inspired this fictional story.

Forty years of inflation have increased the prices of the rare coins in this show, 1913 nickels have sold for several million dollars.

This episode depicted a coin show in 1973, before professional grading services became popular and when coin dealers wore suits.