Crime film from 1949 mentions automobile company offering a new car for a rare penny

WillieBoyd2

I watched the 1949 crime film "Scene of the Crime" a few days ago and spotted an interesting piece of dialog.

An informer tells police detective Van Johnson about two crooks, Turk and Lafe:

Loomis, the shoeshine man to Van Johnson:
Turk, he's the smart one.
Lafe, he's childish-like. A big kid.
He saves things.
Anything -- stamps, match covers, pennies.
He's looking for the kind of penny that automobile companies are supposed to give a new automobile for.
He's gone. Real gone.

Later the detective searches Lafe's apartment and finds a box full of pennies (cents).

Box with pennies

I was curious about the "kind of penny" and found that the closest match would be the rare 1943 copper cent, which got a lot of publicity when one was found in 1944 by a coin collector in Long Beach, California.

In 1947 there was a rumor that the Ford Motor Company would give a new car for such a penny.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-cented-garden

Did Texas coin dealer B. Max Mehl, who offered large amounts for rare coins in the 1930's and 1940's, help this story along?

CaptHenway

Interesting. Might refer to the urban legend that if you found four coins with the mint letters “F-O-R-D” you could get a new car.

BuffaloIronTail

It's an urban legend that has been around the block many times for many years. As stated, the 1943 Copper Cent is the coin.

Coin Collecting started to really take off around that time, and I imagine there was a lot of "mind fodder" circulating with all the collectors back then.

Pete

Timbuk3

Cool !!!

ricko

Find a '43 copper cent today and you could have several Lamborghini's and Ferrari's.... Cheers, RickO

jmlanzaf

@ricko said:
Find a '43 copper cent today and you could have several Lamborghini's and Ferrari's.... Cheers, RickO

Actually, it would have to be a really nice one to even get ONE Lamborghini or Ferrari. Cheepest new Ferrari is $190,000 and cheapest new Lamborhini is close to $200,000

ricko

@jmlanzaf ....OK... I thought a '43 copper was going for around one million dollars..not something I keep track of....Cheers, RickO

jmlanzaf

@ricko said:
@jmlanzaf ....OK... I thought a '43 copper was going for around one million dollars..not something I keep track of....Cheers, RickO

Well, a REALLY nice one!

Treashunt

Actually, the legend is that FORD would give a free car for anyone who collected [cents] with the mint marks of F-O-R-D

Of course only the D could be found

CaptHenway

@Treashunt said:
Actually, the legend is that FORD would give a free car for anyone who collected [cents] with the mint marks of F-O-R-D

Of course only the D could be found

That is the legend I referred to.