Coins On Television - Death Valley Days - Ronald Reagan Shows US The Money

The 1965 television program "Death Valley Days" episode "Raid on the San Francisco Mint" is an interesting San Francisco numismatic story.

"Death Valley Days" was a half-hour television program of "Western" stories which was produced for local television stations and ran from 1952 to 1970.

All of the episodes had a host who introduced the story. The first host was the "Old Ranger" (actor Stanley Andrews) who dressed as a traditional prospector.

He was followed by film actor Ronald Reagan who wore a business suit when introducing episodes. Reagan also stars in this episode, "Raid on the San Francisco Mint" which was first broadcast on March 10, 1965.

This episode is about San Francisco banker William Ralston who, in 1869, "borrowed" a million dollars in gold coins from the nearby San Francisco Mint to show his customers that his bank was solvent.

The mint in the program is the First Mint located on Commercial Street in the city's "Barbary Coast" district which operated from 1854 to 1874. Not much is left of the mint but a small exhibit is open under the Asian art museum at the location.


San Francisco First Mint building

The Ralston incident is based on a story told in bank manager Asbury Harpending's autobiography but has not otherwise been verified.

The episode shows United States gold coins in bank trays and also being handled by the program's host. The size of the prop coins indicates that they are supposed to be twenty-dollar gold pieces or "double eagles".

Ronald Reagan introduces the program:



Love drives men to desperate lengths and desperate deeds, in most cases love of a woman.

This story though records nineteen hectic hours of courtship by a colorful adventurer on behalf of his great love San Francisco, an adventure so colorful I couldn't resist playing him - the man, William Chapman Ralston, was head of the city's leading bank.

Late in 1869 a national depression threatened the bank and the city he adored. To save them he improvised a wild and incredible scheme risking his fortune, his freedom, and his future with a raid on the San Francisco Mint.


Ronald Reagan as William Ralston

William Ralston gets General Bradley, the superintendent of the mint, drunk, and implies that he has a telegram from President Grant authorizing the temporary withdrawal of gold coins. The bank employees them move the money in 50-pound bags to the bank. The next morning, the bank opens for business.


Bank employee shows the money

Ronald Reagan returns as the host and only his hands are shown handling prop gold coins.


Reagan handles gold coins

Then he describes the events that followed the raid.


Ronald Reagan tells the story

General Bradley did have Billy Ralston arrested for his midnight raid on the United States Mint, however President Grant realized that his brilliantly improvised scheme had saved the city from economic disaster so the White House withdrew all charges.

Freed once again, Billy resumed making important contributions to San Francisco, among other things he built the internationally famous Palace Hotel which still stands as a monument to the memory of William Chapman Ralston.

There is more about the program on my website.

A United States $20 gold piece of the period:


United States $20 gold 1864-S