The 1947 film "The Foxes Of Harrow", shows a "twenty dollar gold piece", a small copper coin, and silver coins on a card table. Rex Harrison stars as Stephen Fox who, in 1827, arrives in Louisiana almost broke, wins a fortune and a plantation at cards, marries a beautiful woman Odalie (Maureen O'Hara), then his problems begin. The film was based on the popular Frank Yerby novel of the same title. Early in the film Stephen pays a small boat captain an expensive fare including the twenty dollar gold piece, a ten dollar gold piece, and a small copper coin. Later Stephen plays cards with a drunken plantation owner and silver dollar sized coins are shown laying on a table.

Stephen Fox is the illegitimate offspring of a wealthy Irish family. To avoid a scandal, the family pays a couple of family employees, Sean Fox and his wife, to adopt him. Sean Fox is to receive "twenty golden sovereigns" per year for this service. The child's young mother gives Mrs. Fox a large pearl in a setting to be given to the son when he is an adult, along with details of his real ancestry. Stephen moves to America and in 1827 where he has become a professional gambler and card manipulator. He arrives in New Orleans (Louisiana) almost broke after he is caught on a Mississippi riverboat cheating at cards and thrown off the boat. He manages to get a ride on a small boat with a dangerous crew. The boat's captain offers to protect him from his crew if Stephen gives him money.

Stephen hands over what he calls "a twenty dollar gold piece, ten, these two shillings." The captain tells him to "keep your shillings." The coin which then appears is apparently the "ten."

The coin prop appears to be a worn British penny or a copy of one. Stephen settles near New Orleans, pawns the pearl, and attends uninvited a masked ball. There he introduces himself to Odalie D'Arceneaux, the daughter of a wealthy local family.

Odalie at first does not like Stephen, considering him to not be a "gentleman." Stephen visits a gambling house and enters a Twenty-One (Blackjack) card game. Soon he and a drunken plantation owner are the only ones left in the game.

Soon Stephen has a pile of money, first in the shape of silver dollars, and later in paper.

Some silver-dollar sized prop coins or tokens are shown, along with a winning Twenty-One (Blackjack) hand. The plantation owner finally wagers and loses his plantation and then accuses Stephen of cheating. The result is a duel with pistols in which Stephen kills the owner. Stephen decides to run the plantation he now owns and names it "Harrow" after the place of his birth in Ireland. He has a large mansion built on the property. Most of the workers on the plantation are black slaves, many of whom practice the Voodoo religion. Stephen has become obssessed with Odalie and as he moves up in society is able to encounter her. He has become a good friend of her father and finally proposes marriage to her. Odalie isn't interested in marriage but marries Stephen anyway.

Stephen gets drunk on the wedding night and Odalie refuses to make love with him. He breaks down her bedroom door and assaults her, resulting in a pregnancy.

Stephen finds that Odalie has been consulting a Voodoo master about her pregnancy. They have a son and Odalie continues to refuse to make love with Stephen. After several years of living together and raising the child, they have an argument which is followed by the death of the child in an accident. Stephen has to make business trips to New Orleans where he has a mistress named Desiree. He has investments in the New Orleans stock market and in 1837 there is a market panic.

Many investors have lost their money as banks all over the United States have failed. Stephen has lost some money but is still solvent and he visits the stock market with a friend.

Some market members object to a woman's presence but Stephen's money allows her to stay. When the news of Stephen's financial losses reaches Odalie, she and Desiree join to save the plantation by selling furnishings and objects of art. A large storm threatens to destroy his sugar crop. Odalie and Stephen have treated their black workers well and are able to get the workers to harvest the sugar cane.

With the sale of the sugar the plantation is saved. Stephen and Odalie visit the grave of their son and decide to reconcile and begin a normal marriage.

Rex Harrison as Stephen Fox
Maureen O'Hara as Odalie D'Arceneaux
Patricia Medina as Desiree
Director: John M. Stahl
Writers: Wanda Tuchock, Frank Yerby (novel)