John Boy on the Waltons and a 1879 20 Dollar Gold Coin

Speaking of cars, cool cars on that show...don't know enough as to if they were authentic classic cars or reproduction.

 

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I was not a regular viewer of "The Waltons" but from time to time I watched an episode.

I remember that it was an interesting historical program.

 

Most were authentic Jim Bob's was a collection of different ford parts Jalopy's the Old Ladies who made the recipe had a very rare car. Some old Harley flatheads that Jim Bob raced. Yes i liked that so it reminded me of how i grew up fishing hunting and poor. It was interesting my dad never went to church with us neither?

 

My wife gets mad when i pause and then use slow motion to try and identify coins. I remember that episode well with John Ritter. The other one when John SR. loses his confidence is the one where he set's on an out door table and he would spin the coin i kept pausing it then finally i put it in slow motion and it was a Walker! It was shown 3 times i believe Jim Bob and the kids would watch in the end he could spin it again and that is when i could clearly see it. I really enjoyed the subject matter and characters and being very much time correct such as the Cars churches and such. Grandpa & Grandma were a hoot as well Gun Smoke also had Morgans and gold pieces also large domination paper money to day they had $1000 dollar bills which i know little about.

 

Gunsmoke was always fun to watch for the cons and currency, and the errors therein. Yes there are scenes with Morgan dollars, usually well worn pieces from the 1890's, I recall one scene that showed a well worn seated quarter from the 1870's, another that showed a couple Saint-Gaudens double eagles, and a one with a large size $50 Federal Reserve note.

Now Gunsmoke was set in the early to mid 1870's. Sorry no Morgan dollars at that time especially well worn 1890's dollars. A seated quarter did fit the time frame, but it should have been new or high grade not well worn. Saint-Gaudens double eagles in the 1870's?? And Federal Reserve notes didn't appear until 1914.

 

From what I have read source “Wikipedia” it’s peak years were from 1876 thru 1885 until a fever broke out.So like you noted no 1890 Morgan’s I do recall the seated the Seated Liberty after pausing and I really don’t have the knowledge like you do on paper money. Dodge City fell within the boundaries of the splenic fever by 1886 it was a sleepy town. The show does go all over the place some true and a lot wasn’t but it was a good show and I think they did try to be period correct rifles old revolves shotguns and such. As far as coinage not so much. It lasted 20 years my favorites were the stacks of coins at poker games in The Long Branch and Marshal Dillion capturing the villains. I never could identify the gold coins as you did. James Aeneas was a legitimate soldier wounded in Anzio loosing 3 toes at 6ft 7in he was a big target! When you see him on the horses his legs are not far from the ground Thanks for sharing your observations!

 

I saw the episode where Jon was trying to spin the coin but I just couldnt pause it at a place where you could see the coin.

Today I saw the episode where Jon took his wife on a very belated honeymoon. The kids were trying to raise money to help them and the grandpa pull out an 1864 2 cent coin...he said he would put his two cents in. Of course everyone knew he had hung on to the coin since before they were all born but he said that the coin was worth much more than two cents.bje took it to Ike who paid him 20 dollars for it.

 

I remember that episode. At the time, I knew that there was no way that coin was worth $20 during the Great Depression. The value was probably more like 10 cents, if that, since he was "preserving" it in his overalls.