U.S. Mint seizes priceless coins

[Silver Bullet]

for having saved them from destruction by Our Government

Nice touch -- initial caps on Our Government

 

[joab]

As is, Our Gummint gets $4,500 worth of gold. Being generous, Our Gummint could wind up with millions in taxes.

And at the same time set a precedent that theft of government property is OK if the government can collect th tax on it when it's fenced

 

[Art Eatman]

Joab, I don't think it's enough of a precedent to be worth worrying about. How many thieves would be happy to wait 50 or 100 years or more so their grandkids could profit?

I imagine that whoever took the 1933 coins just couldn't stand to see such beautiful coins destroyed...

It's been too long since I was a vest-pocket dealer, but I recall seeing a proof of the first Double Eagle. Sometime in the middle 1970s. It was reputedly taken by a director of the US Mint, back in 1850 or whenever. Nobody was all that excited about it. The asking price was $4,500, IIRC.

Art

 

[joab]

I imagine that whoever took the 1933 coins just couldn't stand to see such beautiful coins destroyed...

The two people that were believed to be part of the theft, one of whom is the subject of this thread, were known to have had crooked dealings with coins in the past. I doubt that they were simply lovers of coin artistry.

They probably thought that it would not be as big a deal as it turned out to be.
They probably based that notion on how these types of theft were handled in the past.


My stand is still that it was blatant and verifiable theft and the stolen property should be returned to it's rightful owner with rewards given if appropriate

 

[mercedesrules]

The way I understand it:

1) The mint makes a number of these

And the government got the gold for the coins where?