The 1960 film "Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus" is set in the period around 1900. Toby Tyler is a young boy who runs away from home and joins a small travelling circus. There he meets some colorful circus employees including Mr. Stubbs, a chimpanzee who becomes his best friend. Harry Tupper, a crooked employee, offers Toby a silver dollar a week to work for him selling snacks, then lowers his wages to 50 cents a week and steals his tips. A Morgan style silver dollar is shown, along with some coins in a box and a holed "slug."

An early 1900's poster advertises "Colonel Sam Castle's Great American Circus."

The poster advertises "Performances Afternoon and Evening, Rain or Shine."

Toby Tyler is a young boy, around ten years old, an orphan who is living with Uncle Daniel and Aunt Olive, who are actually not relatives of his. Toby sees the poster and leaves home to visit the circus. There he meets Harry Tupper, a concessionaire who sells peanuts and candied apples. Toby has a penny and Harry sells him six "plantation grown goobers." Toby tells Harry about his bad home life and Harry makes him an offer.

Harry offers Toby a silver dollar a week to work as his assistant and shows him the money.

The coin is a Morgan type US silver dollar.

The coin in Toby's hand is very worn.

A United States Morgan silver dollar

Silver, 38 mm, 26.73 gm

Morgan silver dollars were made from 1878 to 1904 and again in 1921. They are named after their designer, George T. Morgan.

Toby goes back home where his uncle starts yelling at him for going to town, telling Toby that he is a "millstone around my neck" and not a real relative. He also sends the boy to bed without any dinner. Toby heads back to the circus and takes the job with Harry. Ben Cotter, the circus strongman, meets Toby and shows him around the circus. Toby also meets Sam Treat, a clown and animal doctor.

Toby begins selling items at the circus while watching the performances. At the end of a performance, he gives the money to Harry who puts it in a money box.

The money box has various coins in it along with a one dollar bill. The coins appear to be standard prop coins.

Harry pulls out a coin and hands it to Toby.

Harry tells Toby that it is a "lead slug" or counterfeit coin and that he will take five cents out of Toby's pay for not examining coins given him. Toby has received a few extra coins and Harry takes half of them claiming that as his manager, he is entitled to half of his "tips." Toby encounters a circus chimpanzee who also becomes his responsibility. Toby names the chimp "Mr. Stubbs." The circus enters a new town with Ben and Toby driving the monkey carriage. The carriage has an accident and rolls over.

The accident frees the monkeys who run around the town. Mr. Stubbs is found in an office firing a pistol at people. The sheriff is about to shoot the chimp when Toby faces and disarms him.

Toby and Ben expect to be fired but the circus owner, Colonel Castle, likes the publicity and rewards the pair. A week is over and Toby goes to Harry about his dollar pay. Harry gives him an excuse and a fifty cent coin.

Toby examines the coin and hands it back to Harry.

The "coin" has an obvious hole in it as it is probably a washer. Toby, Ben, and Mr. Stubbs are driving a carriage at night.

Toby now has $3.47 but the chimp dumps out all of Toby's money. In town, the chimp pulls some letters from Harry's jacket and gives them to Toby. They are from Toby's parents asking him to return home. Toby leaves a note and heads home, unintentionally followed by the chimp. A local hunter sees the chimp in a tree and, mistaking him for a bobcat, shoots him down.

Harry arrives and takes Toby back to the circus. The hunter finds the chimp alive and brings him to the circus where he is treated by Sam.

Toby's parents arrive but it is clear that Toby will stay with the circus as all of his friends are there.

Kevin Corcoran as Toby Tyler
Bob Sweeney as Harry Tupper
Henry Calvin as Ben Cotter
Gene Sheldon as Sam Treat
Richard Eastham as Colonel Sam Castle
Barbara Beaird as Mademoiselle Jeanette
Mr. Stubbs as himself
Director: Charles Barton
Writers: Bill Walsh, Lillie Hayward, James Otis Kaler (novel)