Ok guys, there's more to this story than most of you realize.
First off, I'm not picking on Yeager, but his post is a good example of one point that I want to refute:
So where is the Mint's police report detailing the original theft which enumerates the serial numbers of the specific coins in question?
Oh wait, you mean the only proof is that the mint says they were stolen?
There is more than just the mint's word for it that the coins were stolen. The most important point is that 1933 Double Eagles were NEVER CIRCULATED. That means that not only did they never officially leave the custody of the mint, but that they were NEVER DECLARED TO BE OFFICIAL U.S. CURRENCY. The mint's records show they were never circulated, so the burden of proof is on anyone who claims that there was a legal way for the coins to leave the mint.
The coins were all supposed to be destroyed. The mint's position is that any discovered outside the mint are, in the face of it, illegal because there was no legal way for those coins to have been taken outside of the mint. (With the exception of the coin donated to the Smithsonian). The mint doesn't need to prove that any particular 1933 Double Eagle was stolen, since none were circulated, they can claim that ANY outside of the mint's control are therefore stolen. The fact that the coins were never circulated and thus, were never made into official currency, is why any current owner can't just pay the government the $20 face value of the coin and keep it.
As far as a police report, there is an extensive FBI investigation into the theft when it was discovered. This investigation reactivated whenever any 1933 Double Eagles later turned up. The mint always has claimed that they are stolen property of the federal government and the FBI investigated with the intent of the recovering the stolen property and, if possible, tracing the original theft.
The FBI investigation was never closed. As far as I know, there is no statue of limitations regarding a theft from the U.S. Mint and illegally stolen mint property (the Double Eagles) were, and still are, contraband.
The last known 1933 Double Eagle turned up a few years ago. The FBI actually conducted a "sting" operation and arrested the then owner of the coin when he attemped to sell it. He faced federal felony charges for owning/receiving stolen property. This is the coin that went on auction a few years back. What happened was that in his defense he was able to mount a strong enough case that the coin was not stolen, but was accidently circulated. The feds didn't want to set a precedent that ANY of the coins made it into circulation legally so they agreed to make a deal. They would officially take legal possession of the coin, "circulate" it officially so it would become legal U.S. currency, and then sell the coin at auction and split the proceeds with the man that they had arrested. They'd drop all charges, but he would relinquish ownership of the coin. In return, the feds avoided a trail that would give them bad publicity and didn't have to risk actually losing title to the coin and any others that were out there.
The argument can be made that the coin was not actually stolen but was "accidently" circulated. The guy the FBI arrested made this argument and the waters are just muddy enough for this to have a chance. The problem for the last owner of the coin was that he was facing felony charges and if he lost, he'd not only loose the coin, but go to prison and become a felon. When the deal was broached, he would have been a fool to refuse.
This is why Joan S. Langbord was actually very smart when she turned the 10 coins into the mint for "authentication." This way she does NOT face felony charges and now has standing to sue the government in civil court to recover her "property."
If she loses, she's out coins that are already contraband, but won't face charges because she turned them in as soon as she discovered them. If she wins, she has clear title to coins worth millions. She knows all about the other case and is hoping that she can convince a civil jury that the exact circumstances of how the coins left the mint is just muddy enough that the government's claim that they *had to have been stolen* won't stand up. The evidence and the odds are against her, but the reward if she wins is huge.
As it is now, the coins are both incredibly valuable and totally valueless. There some of the most rare coins around, but without clear title, you can't sell them openly and face arrest for their possesion.
My info is from an excellent book on the subject that I recently read:
Illegal Tender : Gold, Greed, and the Mystery of the Lost 1933 Double Eagle (Hardcover) by David Tripp
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0743245741/qid=1125086438/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bb
s_1/102-9936831-7952149?v=glance&s=books&n=507846