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Hopalong Cassidy Good Luck Coins |
Cowboy Film and Television Star
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Hopalong Cassidy was a character created by writer Clarence Mulford in 1904.
Cassidy was a cowboy who worked on cattle ranches in the 1880's.
William Boyd was the actor who began playing Cassidy in films in 1935.
He made 66 films from 1935 to 1948.
William Boyd bought the rights to his 1940's Hopalong Cassidy films and the character name,
and produced a very popular television program which ran from 1949 to 1954.
It was the first television Western program and later it was shown outside the United States
in various countries.
He always appeared with his horse "Topper", named after the character in the Thorne Smith
supernatural novels.
1. Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd)
William Boyd began merchandising the Hopalong Cassidy character, he appeared on everything from
lunch boxes to bicycles, over 2,000 items in all.
The Hopalong Cassidy character became so well by 1950 he appeared on the cover of
Time and Life magazines, along with articles on the success of his licensing and endorsement business.
In 1953 and 1954, Boyd made a world tour, visiting Britain, Ireland, Germany, and Australia.
He did not visit South Africa as the country banned some of his comic books.
He began minting aluminum "Good Luck" coins in the early 1950's.
These coins were sometimes called "Hoppy Dollars" or "Hoppy Coins."
Boyd would make personal appearances at rodeos, fairs, hospitals, and he would hand out
the coins to his fans, mostly children.
Some coins were also sold or given to the public by various means.
They frequently appear for sale on Ebay and such internet places.
Some have been kept by adults who received them as children.
Here, William Boyd appears with a bag full of the coins.
2. William Boyd with bag of good luck coins
It is not often that one can see the original producer of a numismatic item holding the goods.
Some fans have reported receiving "silver dollars" with Hoppy's face from Boyd, no doubt actually
the aluminum coins, although "special" kids might have received real US silver dollars.
These items are constantly found by metal detectors.
No doubt future archaeologists will find them and wonder.
No doubt future archaeologists will find them and wonder.
Hopalong Cassidy Good Luck Coin Examples:
3. Hopalong Cassidy Good Luck Coin - Full collar
Aluminum, 30 mm, 3.04 gm
Obverse:
Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd) facing wearing creased cowboy hat and shirt with full collar
HOPALONG CASSIDY / WILLIAM BOYD
Reverse:
Good luck symbols - Four-Leaf Clover in Horseshoe, Wishbone at bottom
GOOD LUCK FROM "HOPPY"
Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd) facing wearing creased cowboy hat and shirt with full collar
HOPALONG CASSIDY / WILLIAM BOYD
Good luck symbols - Four-Leaf Clover in Horseshoe, Wishbone at bottom
GOOD LUCK FROM "HOPPY"
This coin may have been manufactured by the Los Angeles Stamp and Stationery Company.
4. Hopalong Cassidy Good Luck Coin - Half Collar
Aluminum, 30 mm, 3.04 gm
This coin has the same size and design as the previous one but the shirt has a half collar.
This one also weighs less at 3.04 grams.
This one also weighs less at 3.04 grams.
5. Hopalong Cassidy Good Luck Coin - Corroded
Aluminum, 30 mm, 3.10 gm
This coin is corroded and is probably a metal-detector find.
It has the same style as the half-collar design above.
It has the same style as the half-collar design above.
6. Hopalong Cassidy Good Luck Coin - Two headed coin
Aluminum, 30 mm, 3.07 gm
This coin obverse and reverse have the same Hopalong Cassidy facing portrait as the
full-collared shirt coin but here there is no shirt collar.
One side also has the lettering "LA STP STA CO" at the bottom.
This coin may be an "Anillo Restrike."
Anillo Industries bought the dies of the Los Angeles Stamp and Stationery Company in 1968
and struck aluminum uniface copies or restrikes with them.
Various abbreviations for "Los Angeles Stamp and Stationery Company" were placed on some of them.
Why this coin was struck on both sides is a mystery.
7. Hopalong Cassidy Good Luck Coin - Modern Copy
Aluminum, 30 mm, 2.69 gm
Hopalong Cassidy items, including these coins, have become "collectibles."
This has caused counterfeiters to make cast copies of them.
This coin is a modern copy which has a casting seam not visible in the photograph.
It also has a crude design and weighs less than the original coins.
Phonograph recording "Hoppy's Good Luck Coin":
William Boyd recorded "Hoppy's Good Luck Coin" about a "lucky" silver dollar.
The record was Capitol Records number 30128, made around 1950.
The spoken story was written by Hamilton Richards.
The record was manufactured in both the 45 and 78 RPM (revolutions per minute) size.
The record was Capitol Records number 30128, made around 1950.
The spoken story was written by Hamilton Richards.
The record was manufactured in both the 45 and 78 RPM (revolutions per minute) size.
Hello partners, this is your old pal Hoppy and I've got a story
I've been wishing to tell you for a long long time.
Its the story of my good luck coin and boy it's surely
good luck to me 'cause it saved my life
It happened quite a while ago when it was the Wild Wild West
(Here Boyd describes a cattle drive)
Which is where that silver dollar I always carry with me comes in.
Well at the time this story begins I was riding herd for the Bar-Z ranch in Texas
(Here Hoppy encounters rustlers, one of whom shoots him)
Well, I sure thought I was a goner and when I came to there wasn't anybody around
but me and those three rustlers.
I guess one of them went out to the road, he shot me all right before he left.
But you know where...right smack in the middle of that silver dollar
I was carrying in the left hand pocket of my shirt.
That bullet put an awful dent in it, but it saved my life
Well partners, that was quite a while ago but I still kept that old silver dollar,
and whenever I look at it now I always say to myself
I think you better keep on giving me good luck
for happy times for the millions of boys and girls who are your friends,
their friendship made me the luckiest father alive.
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