Featured Coins in Movies - The Ultimate Example - Gold Diggers of 1933

I have been looking at appearances of coins and numismatic items in films
for some time, and I have found the best one:

"Gold Diggers of 1933"

What more could one ask for, chorus girls, Busby Berkeley, Ginger Rogers,
Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, and the hit songs "We're in the Money",
"Petting in the Park", and "Remember my Forgotten Man".

The girls show us the money:


Chorus girls sing "We're in the Money"

"We're in the Money" (by Harry Warren and Al Dubin)
The long lost dollar has come back to the fold
With silver you can turn your dreams to gold
We're in the money We're in the money
We've got a lot of what it takes to get along!
We're in the money, the sky is sunny.
Old Man Depression, you are through, you done us wrong!


Ginger Rogers and the chorus girls line up

The coin props are apparently based on the Charles Barber design used for
United States silver coins from 1892 to 1916.
Some of these coins would have still been in circulation in 1933.

More details on this film and others on my website under "Coins in Movies".

 

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There's nothing better than a good old movie, they just don't make them like that anymore. So where's your website?

 

In his signature line

 

The studio issued a cartoon to go along with the film.
It was also titled "We're in the Money".


Cartoon Title


Cartoon Coins

 

Coins can also be found in video games. I remember that in Hitman Absolution 47 (the protagonist) is given a Morgan Dollar from his former handler.

 

in the movie Cinderella Man there was a Peace Dollar in the bucket of ice water. It was used to control the swelling

 

The whole theme in 1933 was nothing but propaganda.

"The long lost dollar has come back to the fold
With silver you can turn your dreams to gold."

As gold was being stolen from the population, there was little other option.

 

In Secretariat, they used a Morgan Dollar for the annual coin flip.

 

How about coins in TV Shows.

In the opening sequence for Masters of Se-ex, there's a spot where a quarter is being inserted into a vending machine. Unfortunately, it has the obverse for a State/Territorial/ATB Quarter. Certainly not representative of the Era for the Masters and Johnson Books.

 

...gold was being stolen from the population

That's why they're called Golddiggers.

 

Gold was never stolen from the population. It was "called in" by the government but it was also paid for at the current price. it was not stolen or confiscated.

 

Those Golddiggers would look better without all that money

 

If one is compelled against their will to relinquish property for less than its fair value under threat of imprisonment, I call that stealing. If I went into the coin shop and "called in" some eagles by imposing terms, I'd be arrested immediately.

 

But they weren't compelled to relinquish it for less than its fair value, they were paid the market rate for the gold. Gold coins of "recognized numismatic value" which was defined as coins minted before April 1933 did not have to be turned in so there was no compulsion to turn them in for less than their value there either.

There were also ways of getting around having to turn in other items that had value well in excess of their gold content as well. Art object, jewelry etc.

 

I was unaware that the government was paying "fair market value" for gold coins. If I had lived back then, and even today, the only person that knows what we have in gold or gold coins is my wife and, having been a teacher for over 30 years, she didn't trust anyone, and would not have told anyone about the gold or anything else of value we have. We were both brought up very poor. Both of our fathers were alcoholics and could not be trust. I am sure there were many U.S. Citizens that did not turn in their gold nor ship it to Europe. I guess it only depends on a matter of trust.

 

Actually, they were paid the statutory rate of the United States, $20.67 an ounce. The actual market price for gold was closer to $30/oz. globally.

It's one of the reasons why the UK was forced off the gold standard in 1931.

 

You must have seen the movie.

 

I've seen the movie a couple of times on TCM. Those pre-code movies can be fun, that one certainly is. Sad to think all of those lovely dancers are over 100 years old now.