The 1945 film "The Picture of Dorian Gray" features a collection tray of coins and medals and numismatic books and catalogs. The film is based on the famous 1890 novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) and starred Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray as a man who has his portrait painted and wishes that the portrait would age rather than him. He gets his wish and begins engaging in unspecified bad behavior. At one point, the artist who painted the picture visits Dorian and finds Dorian with a coin collection spread out on a table.

Dorian Gray is a young man living in Victorian London in 1886. Lord Henry Wotton, a sophisticated and degenerate man, is an acquaintance of Dorian's.

The book is Fleurs du mal (Flowers of Evil) by Charles Baudelaire. Dorian also knows Basil Hallward, an artist.

Basil Hallward is a painter who paints a full-length picture of Dorian.

Basil gives Dorian the painting and an Egyptian statue of a cat, supposedly an Egyptian god.

Dorian wishes that his portrait could age instead of him and his wish is granted. He decides to lead a life of debauchery. He hides the painting in a storeroom and goes to look at occasionally. Dorian heads for a music hall to see the show.

An optician's man wears an advertising sign, "Dr. Look." Dorian likes Sibil Vane, the star performer, and decides to seduce her.

Dorian succeeds in seducing her, but after he "has" her, he drops her and sends her some money.

Dorian then decides to ask her to marry him but finds that she has killed herself. Basil's niece Gladys Hallward has been in love with Dorian since she was a child. She is now a beautiful young woman and decides to ask Dorian to marry her.

Dorian starts seeing Gladys and bringing her to his place. He likes to show her his large collection of Asian and Egyptian art and antiquities.

Dorian continues to live his "debauched" life, his sins are not described, but are inferred by him or other people. One man notes that he "was seen in Whitechapel", among other low places, which may be a hint as to what he was up to. Dorian has Basil over for a visit and carries a box into the room.

What strange and evil thing is inside the box? A coin collection. Dorian examines some large coins or medals and checks them against an illustrated coin catalog. The artist Hallward visits and lectures Dorian on his bad reputation.

A tray of large coins or medals is on the table, along with an illustrated coin catalog.

Basil Hallwell:

Dorian uses a magnifying glass to examine his coin, which is not identified in the film. But it appears to be quite large.

Basil wants to see the painting and Dorian takes him upstairs to look at it.

Basil and the audience now get to meet the long anticipated picture.

The film also shows it in color. Basil is horrified and Dorian murders Basil to silence him. Dorian then forces an acquaintance to dispose of the body. After Basil disappears, Gladys and Dorian visit a detective to ask for help in finding him.

The detective has some sort of viewing device which looks strangely familiar. David Stone is another young man who has been seeing Gladys, and they decide to visit Dorian.

More strange items, including a unicorn. She and Dorian become engaged, but then he decides that he would corrupt her and breaks off the engagement. He notices that the painting has reflected the nice thing he did and concludes that he is capable of reform. Dorian decides to destroy the painting with a knife.

Dorian stabs the painting, collapses, and dies. Gladys, David, and a Lord Wotton enter the room and find Dorian's body, now a horrible sight, while the painting has reverted to it's original form. Gladys looks at the body but isn't frightened, only sad.

George Sanders as Lord Henry Wotton
Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray
Donna Reed as Gladys Hallward
Angela Lansbury as Sibyl Vane
Peter Lawford as David Stone
Director: Albert Lewin
Writers: Albert Lewin, Oscar Wilde (novel)

Henrique Medina painted the original picture used in the film, and Ivan Le Lorraine Albright painted the aged and rather ghastly picture, which is shown in both black and white and color. Dorian Gray was not a coin collector in the novel.
He at one time collected antique jewelry and later embroideries and tapestries.