The 2009 film "The Hessen Conspiracy" also known as "The Hessen Affair." is loosely based on a true story from World War II. In 1946 two American Army officers, Colonel Jack Durant and his girlfriend Captain Kathleen Nash, were stationed at Schloss Friedrichshof, the the palace of the German Hesse royal family, located in Kronberg, Germany near Frankfurt. They accidently found large crates in the basement containing the crown jewels of the House of Hesse. They along with others stole the jewelry and shipped the pieces to United States. One of the German princesses complained to American authorities who launched an investigation resulting in sending the thieves to prison. The film changed many of the details to make the characters more sympathetic. The film stars Billy Zane as Colonel Jack Durant and Lyne Renee as (now) Lieutenant Kathleen Nash. The film has a scene where the thieves encounter a traditional treasure chest and find some ancient Roman coins of the Emperor Caligula which have three standing women on the reverses.

Colonel Jack Durant meets the beautiful and greedy Lieutenant Kathy Nash at the Hesse Palace in Kronberg.

The coins appear to be copies of an actual Roman coin of Caligula (AD 37-41) depicting the emperor on one side and his three sisters on the other side.

This is a copy of a Roman coin of Caligula, copied from Roman Imperial Coins (RIC) Caligula 33. The sisters of Caligula are standing and bearing the attributes of various goddesses. Due to the notoriety of the emperor and the design, this coin has been copied for centuries, and copies would be readily available for use as film props.

For a personal note on this story, please visit: Coin Stories - The World War II Hessen Jewel Robbery

Billy Zane as Colonel Jack Durant
Lyne Renee as Lieutenant Kathleen Nash
Director: Paul Breuls
Writers: Nicholas Meyer, Ronald Roose