"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 and the Rare Coin" and was first broadcast on January 17, 1960. Mr. Wilson receives a telephone call from a New York coin dealer who tells him that his coin collection merits the dealer's personal attention. The dealer visits Mr. Wilson and sells him a coin.

Dennis comes over to visit Mr. Wilson as he is waiting for a coin dealer's visit.

The coin is a 1907 $10 gold coin. Mr. Wilson does not want his wife to find out that he paid $250 for a coin and hides the coin. Mrs. Wilson comes in to vacumn the room and the coin falls on the rug.

The coin is a real United States $10 gold coin but the date is not clear.

A United States gold $10 1907:

Mrs. Wilson gives it to Dennis who is collecting coins for a fund-raising "wishing well" at a city fountain. Mr. Wilson returns, looks for his coin, Dennis comes over and tells him it is in the city fountain. Mr. Wilson and Dennis head to the fountain to look for the coin. The police show up and arrest the pair.

The police take the pair to the police station.

The parents and Mrs. Wilson head for the police station.

A policeman returns with Mr. Wilson's gold coin and Mr. Wilson makes a $50 donation to the "wishing well" fund. An undercover policeman brings in the coin dealer, who has been selling fake coins. Mr. Wilson's coin is a fake and he is out the $250 for the coin and the $50 for the fund. He is sent home, but has a happy ending as Dennis announces that he is going to visit his grandparents and leave Mr. Wilson alone for a while.

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
Irene Tedrow as Mrs. Elkins
Michael Fox as John Hathaway
George Cisar as Sgt. Theodore J. Mooney
Director: Don Taylor
Writers: Peggy Chantler, William Cowley, Louella MacFarlane