BrianRxm Coins on Television 16/88
Dennis the Menace - Dennis' Penny Collection (1961)
Mister Wilson buys a $10 gold piece
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"Dennis the Menace" was a half-hour television program which ran on the CBS Television Network from 1959 to 1963.
 
The program was based on the popular comic strip written by Hank Ketcham which ran from 1951 to 1994.
 
Dennis Mitchell is a mischievous little boy living with his parents. Mr. and Mrs Wilson are a middle-aged childless couple living next door. Dennis is always pestering Mister Wilson who doesn't want him around.
 
The episodes starred Jay North as Dennis Mitchell, Joseph Kearns as Mister (George) Wilson, Gloria Henry as Alice Mitchell, Herbert Anderson as Henry Mitchell, and Sylvia Field as Mrs. Wilson.
 
Several episodes of the program deal with and show various United States coins and coin collecting supplies as Mister Wilson is a dedicated coin collector or numismatist whose main interest is collecting United States coins. He keeps and shows his coins in a specially made suitcase with trays.
 
Dennis sometimes becomes involved with Mister Wilson's coin activities.
 
Mr. Wilson sometimes uses a book which is the "Red Book", a well-known coin book. The "Red Book" is A Guide Book of United States Coins, by R. S. Yeoman (Author), Kenneth Bressett (Editor), published yearly since 1947, now by Krause Publications. The book has a red cover, hence the name.
 
This episode is titled "Dennis' Penny Collection" and was first broadcast on January 8, 1961.
 
Dennis becomes interested in coin collecting when Mr. Wilson tells him that a 1911 penny is worth fifteen cents. No coins are shown in this episode but some coin albums are shown.
 
Dennis the Menace
1. Dennis' father shows him some pennies
Dennis' father shows Dennis a 1911 penny, Dennis becomes interested in coins and his father suggest that they visit Mr. Wilson to get advice on coin collecting.
 
Mr. Wilson tells Dennis that the 1911 penny is worth 15 cents and gives Dennis some penny albums.
 
Dennis the Menace
2. Mr. Wilson hands out coin albums
Mr. Wilson then worries that he has created more problems.
 
Dennis the Menace
3. Dennis leaves with albums
The album is a blue Whitman Lincoln Head Cents album.
 
Dennis collects some bottles and turns them into a grocery store for the deposits. He takes his money in penny rolls.
 
Dennis the Menace
4. Dennis and friend
This picture shows the interior of the album.
 
Mr. Wilson takes the boys downtown to visit a bank. He leaves Dennis to put money in the parking meter.
 
Dennis the Menace
5. Parking meter in the early 1960's takes pennies
Dennis gets distracted and Mr. Wilson gets a parking ticket.
 
They head for the bank, at the same time an armored car pulls up to deliver some change.
 
Dennis asks the guard if he can look through the pennies for old ones, the guard tells him all right, knowing that the car is locked.
 
Mr. Wilson returns, the other guard thinks that he and the boys are robbing the truck, and calls the police who arrest Mr. Wilson and the boys.
 
Dennis the Menace
6. Arrested
Mr. Wilson and the boys are released, the police allow the boys to search the parking meter collections, and the boys give Mr. Wilson a 1914-D penny they find.
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
Jay North as Dennis Mitchell
Herbert Anderson as Henry Mitchell
Gloria Henry as Alice Mitchell
Joseph Kearns as George Wilson
Sylvia Field as Martha Wilson
 
Billy Booth as Tommy Anderson
 
Director: William D. Russell
Writers: Hannibal Coons
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