At one point in his investigation, Columbo picks up a 1959 dime and mentions to Brady that it's "one of those old silver ones. I betcha that's worth 40, maybe 50 cents." It is true that all pre-1965 dimes (as well as quarters and halves) were made out of silver (90% silver, 10% copper, to be exact). And his estimate of the value being approximately four times the face value is correct.
In 1965, the metal composition for dimes and quarters switched to 75% copper and 25% nickel. Halves switched to a composition of 80% silver and 20% copper. In 1971, halves switched to 75% copper and 25% nickel, same as the dimes and quarters.
In 1965, the metal composition for dimes and quarters switched to 75% copper and 25% nickel. Halves switched to a composition of 80% silver and 20% copper. In 1971, halves switched to 75% copper and 25% nickel, same as the dimes and quarters.
This is the second Columbo episode to feature a Hank Williams song. The first was "Swan Song" with Johnny Cash singing "I Saw the Light" on multiple occasions. This one features a melancholy version of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry".
Columbo rarely removes his overcoat, or wears any thing other than a brown suit. In this episode, not only does he remove his overcoat in one scene, but in another he wears a black suit.
The game Charlie is watching, when Vivian enters the office, is the NCAA basketball contest between the UCLA Bruins and the Miami Hurricanes, played Thursday, December 1, 1988. The player who steps to the foul line, just before Vivian turns off the television, is then Miami senior Eric Brown.
Although she remains unseen here---as in the rest of the series---Kate Mulgrew played his wife in Mrs. Columbo (1979), and she had a daughter, his.