The 1984 film "The Cotton Club" is about the famous 1920's and 1930's New York nightclub located in the city's Black Harlem district. The club features Black performers for White audiences. New York gangsters and mobsters frequent the club and use the club to introduce the "Numbers Racket." The "Numbers Racket" is a simple gambling scheme where the bettor picks a three-digit number from "000" to "999" and places a small bet on it. Each day's winning number is announced in newspapers and on radio stations. At one point gangsters introduce the "Numbers Racket" via a montage of pictures of bills and coins.

The United States coins which appear include Lincoln Memorial Cents, Jefferson Nickels, Roosevelt Dimes, Washington Quarters, Kennedy Half Dollars, and at least one 1976 Bicentennial Half Dollar (the large coin near the center).

The operators use coin counting machines to count their small change. A montage of a counting machine is shown over the coins.

Richard Gere as Michael "Dixie" Dwyer
Gregory Hines as Delbert "Sandman" Williams
Diane Lane as Vera Cicero
Lonette McKee as Lila Rose Oliver
Bob Hoskins as Owney Madden
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Writers: Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo, William Kennedy
Based on the 1977 book The Cotton Club by by James Haskins