The Mystery of the 1933 Double Eagle

[Story]

The most valuable coin in the world sits in the lobby of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in lower Manhattan. It’s Exhibit 18E, secured in a bulletproof glass case with an alarm system and an armed guard nearby. The 1933 Double Eagle, considered one of the rarest and most beautiful coins in America, has a face value of $20—and a market value of $7.6 million. It was among the last batch of gold coins ever minted by the U.S. government. The coins were never issued; most of the nearly 500,000 cast were melted down to bullion in 1937.

Most, but not all. Some of the coins slipped out of the Philadelphia Mint before then. No one knows for sure exactly how they got out or even how many got out. The U.S. Secret Service, responsible for protecting the nation’s currency, has been pursuing them for nearly 70 years, through 13 Administrations and 12 different directors. The investigation has spanned three continents and involved some of the most famous coin collectors in the world, a confidential informant, a playboy king, and a sting operation at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. It has inspired two novels, two nonfiction books, and a television documentary. And much of it has centered around a coin dealer, dead since 1990, whose shop is still open in South Philadelphia, run by his 82-year-old daughter.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/gold-coins-the-mystery-of-the-double-eagle-08252011.html

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

It's interesting how the coin narrowly missed being destroyed in the 9-11 terrorist attacks as it was kept in the New York field office of the Secret Service which was located in the World Trade Center before it was transferred to Fort Knox several months before 9-11.

 

[Silver Dollar]

I have a whole bag of those in my pantry and they're really good. All you have to do is peel off the outside foil covering to get to the chocolate part.:whistling:essen:

 

[Story]

A Champagne producer struck gold when a flood of U.S. gold coins rained down on workers remodeling a building on his property, the Agence France-Presse reported. The coins had been tucked away in the building’s rafters.

François Lange, who heads the Champagne house Alexandre Bonnet, said on Tuesday that workers recovered 497 gold coins worth about $980,000. The coins were minted between 1851 and 1928, according to the Agence France-Presse.

*
Where the gold coins originated is unknown, but the building was formerly a grape-drying facility that had belonged to a wine producer who traded with Britain and the U.S. in the 1930s.

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_new...e-finds-1-million-in-gold-us-coins-in-rafters

 

[kyboots]

There are many good people in the coin business. Some not so great! Around 20 years ago I sold my collection at auction as it was a period when I needed to raise the money. I can tell you when I was active there sure were a lot of fortunes made and lost in the coin business. Most of the fortunes made were by dealers.( both good and bad ). I started at a time when grading the coin became the most important attribute. Professional grading was a huge change in the 1990's brought out by the repeated over grading of coins by dealers to maximize their value, and while it had problems too it has become the standard. Most people now want a PCGS or NGC etc graded coin. At this time the 1804 dollar and the early coins were the "dandies." The gold coin dealers were a separate group. Despite all my connections and attendance to shows I never saw a real 1933 double eagle! Do they really exist? For sure?