No, it’s not a prop from the long-running detective series but the extremely rare “Olsen-Hawn” 1913 U.S. Liberty Head nickel that sold for $3.7 million at an auction this past Thursday was featured in the December 11th, 1973 episode of Hawaii Five-O. The plot of the episode, titled “The $100,000 Nickel,” involved a thief played by Victor Buono attempting to steal the coin during a convention in Hawaii by swapping it with a fake. He’s forced to deposit the coin in a vending machine and the coin later journeys from person to person before making its way back to its owner.
According to MSNBC, the coin is one of only five known examples and was only seen in close-ups during the episode. It was previously owned by Egypt’s King Farouk. Two of the five coins are in museums and the other three, including this one, are owned by private collectors.
