"Perry Mason" was a one-hour television program which ran on the CBS television network from 1957 to 1966. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who specializes in defending people accused of murder. He is assisted by his secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale), and private investigator Paul Drake (William Hopper). The district attorney who prosecutes the cases is Hamilton Burger (William Talman) who is assisted by police lieutenant Arthur Tragg (Ray Collins). Some stories were adapted from mystery novels written by Erle Stanley Gardner and others were written for the program. The program followed a formula where Perry's clients are always innocent, and the "real killer" confesses at the end.

This episode is titled "The Case of the Wooden Nickels" and was first broadcast on December 10, 1964. The daughter of a rare coin dealer who is accused of killing her former lover who has involved her father in a crooked scheme involving counterfeiting rare coins and then selling them. The episode shows several early American and foreign coins, including an 1861 Confederate half dollar, a 1776 Continental silver dollar, and some wooden nickels.

Perry Mason has a law office in Los Angeles, and working with him are his administrative assistant Della Street, and the private detective Paul Drake. Miss Minerva Doubleday, wearing glasses, enters Perry's office and asks to talk to Paul. She offers Paul $300, asks him to represent her, and reads a note to him with instructions. The note states that the person is to wait near a public telephone, answer the phone when it rings with the name "Jefferson Davis." He will be then instructed to pick up a large sum of money at another location. Paul asks Minerva what the money is for and she shows him a Confederate half dollar which she states is worth $50,000 to a coin collector.

Minerva and Della watch as Paul holds up the coin with the reverse showing.

Paul then turns the coin over to show the obverse.

The obverse was copied from a US seated liberty half dollar of the period.

There are only four real Confederate half dollars in existence and for this program a replica was used.

A replica of a Confederate half dollar:

Copper-nickel, 32.0 mm, 12.60 gm

Obverse: United States 1861 half dollar Seated Liberty obverse
Reverse: Confederate States seal with seven stars and a Liberty Cap

This is a common item of which many have been sold via mail order, at coin exhibits, and as as a souvenir at Civil War historical sites. This particular replica was purchased at the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Georgia during a 1996 visit.

Homer Doubleday runs a small coin shop "The Numismatist" in downtown Los Angeles. He owns the Confederate half dollar that his daughter is selling. Vivian Norman enters, she works for a wealthy fanatical coin collector named Howard Hopkins.

Homer and Howard do not like each other, Vivian offers $60,000 for the coin which Homer declines. Vivian proceeds to threaten Homer with Howard's wealth and power. Homer tells her that he is selling the Confederate half dollar to someone else. Vivian leaves and Homer heads for the back room where a George Parsons waits.

Homer has a sideline of manufacturing replicas of rare coins and he has discovered that George has sold some of his replicas as original coins. George has sold replicas of "an undated J. Conway five-dollar gold piece", "a Baldwin and Company ten-dollar gold horseman", "an 1884 trade dollar with chop marks", "a 1776 Continental silver dollar", and "a gold Fugio cent." These are all real extremely rare United States coins. Minerva enters, sees George, a former boyfriend, and tells him to get out. She tells her father that Paul Drake is handling the half dollar transaction. At a restaurant, Perry, Della, and Paul are having lunch. Perry signals a waitress and holds up a Franklin half dollar.

The Franklin half dollar reverse with the Liberty Bell is shown. Paul shows Perry the Confederate half dollar and Della explains that she bought a book, the (fictional) "American Numismatic Guide," which on page 166 has an article about the coin.

Perry, Paul, and Della wonder if Homer Doubleday is related to Doctor Doubleday.

Paul asks a "cigarette girl" for some cigarettes and gives her a half dollar. She tells Paul she is out of his brand and has to go get some. Paul discovers that he then can not find the Confederate coin. The girl returns angry about something.

She tells Paul that he tried to trick her with a phony Confederate coin, and hands him the coin.

Howard Hopkins is being assisted by another coin expert, Rexford Wyler, in obtaining the coin. Perry Mason, not knowing of Howard's involvement in the case but needing to talk to a "coin expert", takes the Confederate half dollar to Howard Hopkins's mansion. Howard receives Perry in a lavishly decorated home office. Howard claims that his coin collection is "second to none in the world."

Howard shows Perry a coin and states that it is a 1913 Liberty Nickel, one of the original five owned by Colonel Green, son of the famous Hetty Green, and states that he paid $22,000 for it in 1952.

Howard then shows Perry some wooden nickels, one used by miners at Sutters Mill in 1849, one issued at Vicksburg during the Grant siege, both worth $1,000 now. Perry hands Howard the Confederate half dollar.

Howard examines it under a magnifying glass.

Some unidentifiable coins or tokens appear in the tray. Howard immediately offers Perry $60,000 for the coin, Perry refuses, and has a hard time getting it back from Howard's tight fingers.

Paul heads to the coin shop and discovers Minerva searching a recently shot George Parsons.

The police and Perry arrive, then police search George's apartment and find love letters from Minerva, she becomes the prime suspect and is arrested, with Perry becoming her attorney. Homer admits he has the Confederate half dollar from his grandfather, he tells Perry he was going to sell it to a secret buyer to keep the sale out of news. He continues that George was selling the replicas of rare coins to museums as originals. Perry Mason visits Homer at his coin store.

Homer shows Perry that his coin replicas can be recognized as they have an altered center of gravity and won't stand on edge. Homer tells Perry that was going to sell the Confederate half dollar to raise funds to buy back the copies which George sold to museums and collectors. Police Lieutenant Anderson arrests Minerva and takes her to the jail. Perry visits Minerva and she tells him that she gave Paul a replica to sell and was searching Parsons for the real one. The courtroom preliminary hearing begins with District Attorney Hamilton Burger prosecuting Minerva.

Hamilton announces that he will prove that Minerva killed George because they were lovers and had a falling out. Hamilton calls Harold as a witness.

Hamilton asks Harold if the half dollar is the real one and Harold replies that it is. Perry questions Harold and asks him about two wooden nickels sent to Homer.

The coin next to the wooden nickels is a copy of an ancient coin. Perry and Paul fly to San Francisco.

Perry and Pall visit the De Young Museum to examine one of the coins that George sold.

This building has been torn down and a new modern building now houses the museum. Perry and Paul head for the museum coin exhibit (which the museum doesn't have now).

Perry asks to see the "Ten dollar horseman", for some reason it is in a British coin holder. The coin is portrayed by the reverse of an ordinary United States $10 gold coin.

The coin case reads "By Appointment to H.M. the Queen (or King)" Perry discovers that the museum coin is authentic. Perry has now guessed at what has happened, and, back in Los Angeles, several of the players head to Howard's mansion. Perry asks Howard to show him five coins from his collection.

Howard then hands the coin to Rexford.

Rexford places the coin on it's edge and it fall over meaning that it is one of Homer's replicas.

Now occurs the traditional scene where the suspects and police are gathered in a room.

Police Lieutenant Anderson, Howard Hopkins, Rexford Wyler, Perry Mason, and Vivian Norman. Perry announces that George and Vivian were stealing Howard's rare coins and substituting copies. George would then sell the originals to museums. Howard discovered the thefts, then hired a safecracker to get Homer's safe combination. He then went to Homer's coin shop, opened the safe, George walked in, and Howard shot him. Howard holds a bunch of coins that he will not see any more.

The coins are two United States Morgan silver dollars, a Continental silver dollar, a Italian copper 10 centesimi coin of King Victor Emmanuel II, and a Mexican bronze "Josefa" five centavos coin.

Minerva is released from jail and visits Perry Mason's office to thank him, Paul, and Della.

Minerva leaves and the three partners discuss the case. Paul then pulls out some loose change coins and lays them on a desk. He starts searching through the coins and Perry asks him what he is doing. Paul announces that he is conducting his daily search to make sure that nobody has given him any wooden nickels.

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason
Barbara Hale as Della Street
William Hopper as Paul Drake
William Talman as Hamilton Burger
Wesley Lau as Lieutenant Anderson
Phyllis Love as Minerva Doubleday
Will Kuluva as Homer Doubleday
Murray Matheson as Howard Hopkins
Nancy Berg as Vivian Norman
Hunt Powers (Jack Betts) as George Parsons
Walter Burke as Gerald Kelso
Berry Kroeger as Rexford Wyler
Director: Arthur Marks
Writers: Erle Stanley Gardner, Jonathan Latimer, Samuel Newman