“Mayberry on Record” episode (season 1, episode 19)
Occasionally we’ll veer into a discussion of numismatics in the popular media such as books, movies and television shows. Gerald Tebben published an article February 19, 2016 in Coin World about a funny 1961 episode of The Andy Griffith Show. -Editor
A running gag involving a fictional mint error plays a major part in the “Mayberry on Record” episode (season 1, episode 19) of The Andy Griffith Show and caused perhaps a few of the more gullible among us to check our change for a certain supposedly misstruck Indian Head 5-cent piece in the early 1960s.
At the beginning of the episode, Deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts) says he’s looking for an investment “that zooms overnight.”
“It happens, you know,” he says, plopping himself down on top of a table. “Oil stocks and uranium.”
Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) cautions, “You better watch this investing business. The woods are full of con men. You’d be just ripe for the plucking, too.”
Barney, calling himself “old eagle-eye,” says that’s not likely, providing an intro for the joke that falsely foreshadows the drama to come.
Andy, sitting at his desk, says, “Well now, I’ll tell you. If you’re really considering investing, why don’t you try coin collecting?”
“Coin collecting for investing?” Barney asks.
Andy replies, “Well sure, its a good hobby, and you can’t never tell when you’ll come across a rare old coin that might bring you a whole lot of money.”
“A coin? Cut it out,” Barney says.
Andy shows Barney wrong-way Buffalo nickel “Well sure. Look here. Look right here,” Andy says opening his desk drawer and taking out a coin. “See that nickel right there. Now I paid $10 for that nickel. A month later a fellow offered me 50 for it. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if I was to advertise I’d get, oh, a couple hundred dollars.”
“For a nickel. How come,” Barney asks.
Andy replies, “Well, they made a mistake at the mint. Look right here. See that buffalo right there?”
“Yeah,” Barney affirms.
“Facing the wrong way,” Andy explains.
“Facing the wrong way?” Barney questions as he tries to grab coin.
Andy pulls it away, saying, “And that makes it valuable. Yeah, I don’t suspect there’s more than two or three in the whole country.”
Andy tells Barney the coin keeps increasing in value because there are so few of them.
Hooked, Barney offers to buy it. “I couldn’t give you no 200, but might go 50 – 75.”
They agree on $75 and shake hands. Andy hands the coin to Barney.
No wrong-way Buffalo nickels are known, but Indian Head 5-cent piece errors are highly collectible. In 2010, a 1913 Bison on Plain 5-cent coin struck on a dime planchet sold for $46,000 at auction.
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/periodical/511850The episode can be viewed online.
To watch the episode on YouTube, see: