THE BROKEN COIN

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V21 2018 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 21, Number 24, June 17, 2018, Article 30

THE BROKEN COIN

Earlier we discussed coins and money in silent films. The May 2018 issue of The Clarion (published by the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatist) features an original article by Harry Waterson on a promotional medal issue for the 1915 movie serial The Broken Coin. With permission, here is an excerpt. -Editor

There are many bits and pieces of memorabilia from this film that survive from 1915. The most interesting is a steel coin, size of a silver dollar, that was produced in vast quantities as a promotional piece.

The coin is deeply scored to show where it had been broken. The Latin inscription on the left half of the reverse is loosely translated. "Under the floor of the northeast corner of the torture chamber, you will find the treasures of the King of Gretzhoffen." The MI are the first two letters of MICHAEL III whose profile fills the obverse.

To the right of the break the coin promotes the run of the serial; 15 episodes in 30 weeks, each episode a two-reeler. The film opened June 21, 1915 and was so successful it ran for 22 weeks.

Examples of the steel Broken Coin are almost always available on eBay. The film itself, all 44 reels of it, is gone. They have disappeared and probably no longer exist.

For more information on PAN, see:
https://pancoins.org/

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
Coins and Money in Silent Films (http://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n20a24.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum

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