Experts challenged in 1933 $20 gold coin fight
stonej
Mike Marotta
> http://www.numismaticnews.net/article/Experts_challenged_in_33_gold_2...
"Presently, the coins are at Fort Knox, Ky., where they are in the
secure gold depositary facility."
Presently perhaps the only actual US government gold in the facility.
Oh, sorry ...
Interesting story all in all, and the tit-for-tat over the non-
expertise of experts is amusing. It is hard to see the depth of
concern. I mean, imagine that this was the Kremnica Mint and the
coins in question were patterns that could have been the last 10-
hellers of the Hapsburgs or the first of the new 10-halleru of the new
Republic and these European scholars were demeaning each other in a
courthouse in Bratislava.
The point about the 1913 Liberty Nickels is cogent. I would add the
1804 Dollars, as well. Lacking an actual history, American collectors
of American coins crown ersatz issues with high prices, books, and
court cases.
I did not understand why the Switt Family sent the coins to the Mint
for "authentication" except as a prelude to just this court case.
No doubt, this will continue to fodder the presses for years to come.
"Roßert G. Schaffrath"
> I did not understand why the Switt Family sent the coins to the Mint
> for "authentication" except as a prelude to just this court case.
>
> No doubt, this will continue to fodder the presses for years to come.
That is probably as good an argument as any. Without some kind of
government intervention, they were sitting on coins that were worth no
more than there bullion value AND they would have had to melt them
before making the metal available for sale. They were basically stuck
with items that were illegal to own, could not be shown to anyone for
fear of being found out and one way or another would become somebodies
problem someday. For better or worse the legal process had to be
started. Hopefully, no matter the outcome, the coins will not be
destroyed. If they are determined have been illegally obtained I would
hope they wind up on display in the Smithsonian or some other Federal
museum.
Robert
oly
I always assumed that the family had more than ten pieces of the 1933
$20 coin...
Perhaps the LBJ family is bankrolling the family too - LBJ's girls
have to be sitting on a couple of bags of 1964 Peace dollars. You
don't think Miss Adams didn't kowtow and knock her head on the floor
five times when she presented LBJ with the first strikes???
oly
Mike Marotta
wrote:
> Mike Marotta wrote:
> > I did not understand why the Switt Family sent the coins to the Mint
> > for "authentication" except as a prelude to just this court case.
>
> government intervention, they were sitting on coins that were worth no
> more than there bullion value AND they would have had to melt them
> before making the metal available for sale.
I think that the coins were marketable as they were via private sales
after discrete inquiries. However, that is a lot of trouble and much
more trouble lurks behind each attempt, so it was probably best to get
the matter out in the open. The coins could have stayed in the family
for another couple of generations but pride of ownership only goes so
far.
The tiff between experts is perhaps the real story. No court can rule
on who is or is not an expert, unless there is some compelling
argument from one side against the other's witness. The rules of
evidence allow much latitude. Very few cases actually hinge on
physical evidence or expert testimony. That CSI courtroom drama is
just entertainment. However, it does happen in real life that experts
and evidence come into the courtroom. The bench can only allow the
testimony and leave the rest up to the jury as the true finders of
fact.
I found the arguments on both sides equally compelling. On the one
hand, the Mint claims it never released the coins. They were stolen.
The Mint wants them back. On the other hand, you have these official
U S of A coins out there, and how are they different from a million
others? The alleged "theft" was never reported as such. It is
interesting that when Executive Order 6102 was modified by Secretary
of the Treasury William Woodin -- himself a numismatist and author of
a standard work on US Patterns -- coins 1932 and earlier were
excepted, not 1933 and earlier, even though the Executive Order and
its modifications came in the year 1933.
Interestingly, COIN WORLD cites work of R. W. Julian via the FOIA
showing that Woodin himself possessed 1933 Double Eagles (at least
one) and offered them (it) for sale. (See here:
http://www.coinworld.com/news/101402/news-1.asp)
It's all very interesting at some level, but I keeping imaging a
courthouse in Bratislava.
They are just coins, you know. The writing about them, their
historical context then and now, is more important than the objects
themselves. “I’ve always thought that if a man doesn’t own one coin,
but has the knowledge that is in the books, then he’s a real
numismatist.” -- Aaron Feldman.
Mike M.
Michael E. Marotta