The 1947 film "The Brasher Doubloon" is based on Raymond Chandler's 1942 novel The High Window about a Los Angeles private detective investigating the theft of a Brasher Doubloon, a very famous and rare American gold coin. Raymond Chandler's novel was also filmed as "Time to Kill" in 1942.
Please visit Coins in Movies - Time to Kill for more information.
The coin counterfeiting sub-plot of the novel was not used in this film. Brasher Doubloons are extremely rare gold coins privately minted around 1787 by New York goldsmith Ephraim Brasher. According to the novel, authentic Brasher Doubloons were worth around $10,000 to collectors in 1942. They are worth more now, one sold for $4,500,000 in January 2014. Most of the coins have Brasher's initials "EB" on the right wing of the eagle which is the left side of the coin. The film shows a replica of a Brasher Doubloon, a prop coin either specially made for the film or a commercial replica. Numismatic researcher Walter Breen, in his Complete Encyclopedia of US coins (1978), saw the film and was disappointed that the coin in the film was a "fake."

The coin used as a background in the film titles and as a prop coin is a replica; supposedly many were made over the years.

Marlowe meets Merle Davis, secretary and general assistant to wealthy Mrs. Murdock. He has been hired out of the telephone book to find a rare coin belonging to Mrs. Murdock.

Merle has some problems of her own, including being treated badly by her employer.

Mrs. Murdock is a nasty wealthy woman who hires Marlowe to find a missing rare coin. The coin belonged to Mrs. Murdock's late husband and disappeared from a safe, which only she, Merle, and her wastrel son Leslie had access to. Mrs. Murdock denies that her son took the coin. Mrs. Murdock found the coin missing when a coin dealer called her and asked her if she was selling her coin as someone offered it to him. "It's worth at least $10,000." Merle shows Marlowe a coin tray with coins in it.

The coin labels are for French coins (except for the Brasher Doubloon) and read: A French Napoleon III silver coin is prominent in the space labeled "Louis Philippe 1792." Marlowe gets to work, and the first item is to visit the coin dealer, Elisha Morningstar. He looks in the telephone directory.

Marlowe goes to visit the dealer, whose office is in downtown Los Angeles.

There is nice old fashioned lettering on the door.

Moringstar tells Marlowe a little about the Brasher Doubloon, including that the maker and seven owners met unhappy ends.

Interesting view of a 1940's coin dealer's office and shop. These kind of offices existed until the 1960's in large cities. Marlowe meets another detective working on the case, later he obtains a storage locker tag which he uses to claim a small package. He goes to a telephone booth to open the package and finds the coin.

Marlowe turns the coin over giving view to both sides. The coin has a mountain on one side and an eagle on the other side.

Obverse: Sun rising over a mountain, NOVA EBORACA COLUMBIA EXCELSIOR
Reverse: Eagle UNUM E PLURIBUS 1787

Marlowe returns to the dealer's office and finds the dealer dead and his shop ransacked.

Marlowe contacts Mrs. Murdock who tells him that her coin has been returned. She has realized that her son stole the coin. Marlowe visits her and shows her the coin that he has.

Mrs. Murdock then orders Merle to get the coin from Marlowe, "use what you've got, child." A sleazy gentleman named Vannier, a former film cameraman, comes to Marlowe's office. Vannier explains that he is a coin collector and that the coin is his. Vannier tries using a gun on Marlowe.

Marlowe overpowers and takes the gun from Vannier. This character appears to be similar to the Peter Lorre character in "The Maltese Falcon." Marlowe has been keeping the coin in his pipe tobacco pouch, and takes it out to look at it.

Would this cause "tobacco toning"? Marlowe leaves his office and heads to his apartment, finding Merle there. She explains that Vannier was blackmailing Mrs. Murdock about something.

Merle starts working on Marlowe to get the coin.

This doesn't work with Marlowe, and she tries another way.

Marlowe gets the gun away from Merle and then leaves. Outside his apartment, he is kidnapped by gangsters who also want the coin. The take him to their hangout for an "enhanced interrogation", Marlowe sees Mrs. Murdock's son Leslie is with the gangsters.

Marlowe escapes from the gangsters, finds Merle, and they head for Vannier's apartment. The pair search the apartment and find Vannier's body, a small coin collection.

They also find a roll of film. Leslie Murdock shows up and enters Vannier's house.

He is wearing the hairstyle and suit favored by late 1940's hipsters. Marlowe overpowers Leslie and takes his gun, then Marlowe and Merle head for his apartment. The police arrive and they have brought the gangsters with them.

Mrs. Murdock then arrives and demands her coin. Marlowe has set up a projector and runs Vannier's film, which identifies another killer. Vannier had been photographing the Pasadena Rose Parade, he accidently filmed Mrs. Murdock pushing her husband out a window, and has been blackmailing her ever since. The police arrest the gangsters and Mrs. Marlowe and all leave except Marlowe and Merle.

George Montgomery as Philip Marlowe
Nancy Guild as Merle Davis
Conrad Janis as Leslie Murdock
Florence Bates as Mrs. Elizabeth Murdock
Marvin Miller as Vince Blair
Director: John Brahm
Writers: Dorothy Bennett, Leonard Praskins, Raymond Chandler (novel)