A "Gunsmoke" television show episode with real US gold coins in it

I haven't seen real United States gold coins on a television program before
(except for documentaries).

I bought a DVD with several episodes of the television program "Gunsmoke"
to watch one particular episode.
http://www.cointalk.org/threads/los...sode-treasure-of-john-walking-fox-1966.237900

I then watched some of the others and found this one, which used real
United States gold double eagles as prop coins.

The episode was called "Trail of Bloodshed" and was first broadcast on March 4, 1974.

It was a story of revenge about a young man hunting his outlaw uncle who has
murdered his father for a cache of gold and silver coins.
The outlaw stops in a small town and loses the money in a poker game.

The coins in the episode probably came from somebody's collection,
and together would have been worth a few thousand dollars in 1974
when the price of gold was $150 to $200 an ounce.

"Gunsmoke" episodes were set in the 1870's, and the coins are from that period.

Or are they?


Several Morgan-type silver dollars and St. Gaudens type double eagles.


Several Morgan-type silver dollars and St. Gaudens type double eagles.
One of the silver dollars is dated 1885.

More details on my website under "Coins on Television".

 

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The Morgan to the right of the Saint-Gaudens is dated 1896. You also have the fact that several of the dollars are heavily worn, something that would be rather odd in the 1870's considering they didn't start making them until 1878.

 

I looked at the coin again and the date does look like 1896.

 

The Saint Gaudens type $20 was not struck until 1907. Morgan Dollars begin 1878.

Consistent props would have Liberty $20 golds and no dollars, but rather half dollars. And considering that it was the West, the dollar-sized coins would be new Mexican Pesos and older Mexican 8 reales.

The Seated series ran from 1838/1839 to 1891. Generally speaking the most common products of the Mint were the half dollar and $5 half eagle gold.

 

With MAYBE a few seated dollars. Not many though as they were money losers worth more than their face value as metal.At least until the late 1870's.