"Perry Mason" was a one-hour television program which ran on the CBS television network from 1957 to 1966. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who specializes in defending people accused of murder. He is assisted by his secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale), and private investigator Paul Drake (William Hopper). The district attorney who prosecutes the cases is Hamilton Burger (William Talman) who is assisted by police lieutenant Arthur Tragg (Ray Collins). Some stories were adapted from mystery novels written by Erle Stanley Gardner and others were written for the program. The program followed a formula where Perry's clients are always innocent, and the "real killer" confesses at the end.

This episode is titled "The Case of the Captain's Coins" and was first broadcast on January 13, 1962. Two branches of a family fighting over ownership of a modern-day shipping line. The fight turns deadly when the company president is murdered and a coin collection is stolen. The identity of the person depicted on an 1871 medal will determine the outcome. The episode features a (fictional) rare medal called the "1871 Malay States Commemorative Medal" along with a collection of rare coins called the "Far East" coin collection.

A passenger ship is shown to to introduce the fictional Farraday shipping company.

The SS Mariposa was owned by the Matson Lines shipping company. Ben Farraday is the president of the Farraday shipping company. He is rough on his employees and is disliked by most, including his brother Edward. Ben is in his office holding a telephone and a cloth bag of coins.

The "rare coins" in the bag are not treated very well being mixed together. The collection's owner, Nickolas Trevelian, is a renown coin collector who is loaning his "Far East" coin collection to a local museum for an exhibit. The Farraday family is split into two branches, the "have" and "have-not" branch, The rich members are descended from Jonathan Farraday, the founder of the company, and the less well off members are descended from Thomas Farraday, a clerk who accompanied Jonathan on an trip to the Malay States. Supposedly Jonathan saved the life of a king's son and in return the king gave Jonathan an exclusive shipping contract and half a million dollars in gold. Thomas died on the return trip to America and Jonathan became wealthy. Evelyn Farraday is from the poor side and works for the company. She is engaged to Philip Andrews, a historian who is attempting to locate evidence that Thomas Farraday signed a partnership agreement with Jonathan.

Henry Cosgrove manages the local museum. He explains the Farraday family story. Evelyn and Philip see attorney Perry Mason who manages some of the families' legal affairs.

Della Street is Perry's assistant and Paul Drake runs a detective agency. Six months ago Philip obtained a letter from a deceased Farraday that stated that there was a partnership, but Ben Farraday proved that the letter was a forgery causing Philip to be fired from the magazine that he worked for. Some family members are interested in an old medal, an 1871 Malay States Commemorative Medal, part of a series of medals issued by the local government, because it supposedly depicts who actually rescued the king's son. At a party on board a Farraday ship, Edward Farraday goes to Ben's office to locate him and finds his body.

The coin collection is spilled onto the floor but the medal is missing. The police arrive and interview Philip and coin collection owner Nickolas Trevelian. Trevelian explains that he bought the coins from the wife of deceased a Hong Kong coin collector named Ionescu.

Philip becomes the chief suspect and is arrested. Trevelian states that he has photographs of the coin collection including the medal.

The coins are various foreign (non-US) coins and tokens. A company secretary tells Perry that Ben took some photos to a commercial photo shop.

The shop owner describes the coin and the picture on it. Perry, Della, and Paul head for the Farraday house and encounter Trevelian.

Trevelian shows them a photograph of himself and the collection.

Behind Trevelian is a picture of a British East Africa shilling which is dated 1941. The coins in the tray are mostly the same ones on the table earlier. Trevelian then points to a coin in the tray which is the infamous medal. Back at the photo shop an enlargement is made of the photo.

Old photographs of Thomas and Jonathan Farraday are compared to the medal picture.

They conclude that the man on the medal is Thomas, the clerk who died. California felony criminal cases feature a preliminary hearing held before a judge who determines if there is enough evidence to send a defendant to trial.

Philip Andrews is being tried for the murder of Ben Farraday. It was discovered that Ben and Edward were running a scheme to make the medal look like a second forgery by Philip. District Attorney (prosecutor) Hamilton Burger questions Carter Farraday about the coin.

Carter explains about the face on the medal and the consequences for the firm, including that the "have-not" branch of the family will get a lot of money. A coin expert explains that there are marks on the medal which mean that it is authentic. The next witness is Mrs. Ionescu who must have been brought all the way from Hong Kong to testify.

Mrs. Ionescu explains that her husband bought the medal from a dealer and that a certificate of authenticity found later with the medal was a forgery not issued by the dealer.

Edward Farraday explains Ben's scheme to send someone to Hong Kong with a fake certificate and insert it into the Ionescu files. The next witness is the employee who was sent to Hong Kong.

Evans confesses that he had the medal and attempted to sell it to Ben. Ben demanded that Evans give to him and they fought in the office leaving Ben dead. The next scene shows Philip and Evelyn in Perry's office.

He tells them that Uncle Carter and Trevelian are giving them something.

It is, of course, the medal.

Paul Drake asks "That face launched a thousand ships?."

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason
Barbara Hale as Della Street
William Hopper as Paul Drake
William Talman as Hamilton Burger
Jeremy Slate as Philip Andrews
Joan Patrick as Evelyn Farraday
Herbert Rudley as Ben Farraday (Manager)
Parley Baer as Edward Farraday
Jay Novello as Nickolas Trevelian (Coin collector)
Arthur Franz as Evans (Ship purser)
Director: Arthur Marks
Writers: Erle Stanley Gardner, Adrian Gendot