The 1975 film "The Man Who Would Be King" shows some ancient coins of the style of Alexander the Great and an imitation Roman coin of the Caesar Lucius Verus. The film is based on Rudyard Kipling's novel about two former British army sergeants who set out in 1882 for a remote part of Afghanistan where one is recognized as a god and becomes appointed as a king. The film stars Sean Connery as Daniel Dravot, Michael Caine as Peachy Carnehan, and Christopher Plummer as newspaper reporter Rudyard Kipling. At one point a temple official shows the men boxes of treasure which include some ancient coins which the men handle.

In 1885, Rudyard Kipling, a reporter for The Northern Star newspaper, is in his office at night when a man comes in. The man has obviously been living a hard life and asks Kipling if he knows him. Kipling does not recognize the man at first but then realizes that he had met him three years before. The man introduces himself as Peachy Carnehan.

Peachy's story begins three years earlier in 1882. He and Kipling were on a train where he stole Kipling's watch and found a Masonic emblem attached.

Peachy realized that both men were Freemasons and returned the watch. Kipling was able to get Peachy and his partner Daniel Dravot out of trouble with a British official. Now Kipling is working late in his newspaper office.

Kipling finds that he has two visitors.

Kipling points out the area but advises them not to go there as the country is dangerous. They decide to go anyway and Kipling gives them advice along with his Masonic emblem. The men buy supplies, disguise themselves as natives, and head out. They are able to cross into Afghanistan and head north to Kafiristan, located on the other side of high mountains.

The men are now in the mountains.

Emerging from the mountains they find themselves in Kafiristan and do not know the language. They encounter the village of "Er-Heb" and then a former British Army Gurkha soldier living there.

The Gurkha is named Majendra Bahadur Gurung but is called "Billy Fish." He is the lone survivor of a British mapping expedition years before and acts as an interpreter. The Er-Heb villagers have been attacking or defending themselves against other villages for a long time. Peachy and Daniel have brought 20 rifles with them and use them to arm the villagers.

Finally they are ready.

The Englishmen head out with their "army" to attack a neighboring village.

The neighbor villagers live in an old castle. The Er-Heb people win the battle (helped by the rifles) but the Englishmen order no post-battle killings and only a small amount of looting. Some loot is brought to the Englishmen.

He calls it a "gold coin, pretty well worn." Unfortunately the coin isn't shown. The soldiers spot something more interesting.

This is more than a coincidence as when Alexander the Great conquered the area, he married a local girl named Roxanne. After some time, the two soldiers are invited to the "holy city" of Sikandergul or "City of Alexander."

The priests living there have heard that Daniel was struck by an arrow and not harmed. They grab Daniel and want to repeat the event.

The priests pull off Daniel's shirt revealing his Masonic emblem. They are amazed and take Daniel to a rock and lift it up revealing an ancient emblem.

The priests now believe that Daniel is a god and the son of Alexander who has sent him. They crown Daniel as the king.

Some time later the priests take the two Englishmen to a treasure room.

Daniel picks a large gold coin.

The gold coin is large with a man's head on it which Daniel recognizes as Alexander.

Only the obverse of the coin, similar to an Alexander tetradrachm, appears. The coin in the film is an large imitation prop coin to better show on the screen.

Silver, 30 mm, 17.14 gm
Struck: BC 288-281 (about) This coin was issued in Thrace, Greece by one of Alexander's successors, Lysimachos. Obverse: Head of Alexander the Great wearing the Horn of Ammon
Reverse: Athena left on throne, left arm on shield, spear on right side

This image is part of the previous image but rotated 180 degrees to highlight the Roman coin.

The Roman coin reads "COS II S C" under a chariot and four horses, and matches an imitation Roman coin of Emperor Lucius Verus (AD 161-169).

Bronze, 35 mm, 18.10 gm
The design is based on medals created by the 16th century medalist Giovanni Cavino "The Paduan" This is a modern manufactured fake coin designed to be sold to tourists visiting ancient sites. Obverse:
Lucius Verus facing right
L VERVS AVG ARM PARTH MAXI RP VIIII
Reverse:
Man driving a quadriga, a chariot with four horses
COS II / S C in exergue

The Roman emperor on the coin, Lucius Verus, was the co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius from AD 161 to 169, centuries after the time of Alexander the Great. A gold plated version of this coin appears in the 1988 film "The Last Temptation of Christ."

Daniel likes his role as king and begins to believe that he really was sent by Alexander. The two Englishmen had previously agreed to leave with some loot when the mountain snows had cleared, but now Daniel wants to stay there and marry Roxanne. King Daniel tells his plan to the priests who don'st believe it is right for a god to marry a mortal woman. The priests will let "Imbra", the "head god", decide if the marriage is allowed.

Billy Fish tells Daniel that the village animals are in bad shape and that the residents believe the upcoming marriage has offended Imbra the god. Daniel goes ahead with the wedding.

The wedding is performed for Daniel and Roxanne.

Roxanne bites Daniel and the blood from the wound alerts the priests and villagers that Daniel is not a god as gods don't bleed. The two Englishmen and Billy flee the village and fight their way over a bridge. Billy is killed in the battle, dying like a true English soldier.

Villagers are at both ends of a bridge, King Daniel is in the middle, and a priest cuts a support rope causing the bridge to collapse.

The bridge collapses with Daniel falling into the gorge.

Now the scene is back in Kipling's office and Peachy ends his story by telling that the villagers crucified Peachy but found him alive the next day and let him go.

Peachy pulls out a large cloth bag which he leaves on the desk as he exits the office. Kipling suspects what is in the bag.

He finds what he expected to find.

Sean Connery as Daniel Dravot
Michael Caine as Peachy Carnehan
Christopher Plummer as Rudyard Kipling
Saeed Jaffrey as Billy Fish
Shakira Caine as Roxanne
Director: John Huston
Writers: John Huston, Gladys Hill, Rudyard Kipling (novel)