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Illegal Tender: Gold, Greed, and the Mystery of the Lost 1933 Double Eagle: New

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ApproximatelyAU $37.44
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Last updated on 04 May, 2024 16:47:20 AESTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Book Title
Illegal Tender: Gold, Greed, and the Mystery of the Lost 1933 Dou
Format
Trade paperback
Publication Date
2013-11-02
Publication Year
2013
Pages
384
ISBN
9780743274357
Language
English
Illustrator
Yes
Author
David Tripp
Publisher
Atria Books
Topic
United States / 20th Century, Silver, Gold & Other Metals, General, Coins, Currency & Medals, United States / General, Antiques & Collectibles, History

About this product

Product Information

It is one of America's treasures. The most valuable ounce of gold in the world, the celebrated, the fabled, the infamous 1933 double eagle, illegal to own and coveted all the more, it has been sought with passion by men of wealth and with steely persistence by the United States government for more than a half century--it shouldn't even exist but it does, and its astonishing, true adventures read like "a composite of The Lord of the Rings and The Maltese Falcon" ( The New York Times ). In 1905, at the height of the exuberant Gilded Age, President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned America's greatest sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens--as he battled in vain for his life--to create what became America's most beautiful coin. In 1933 the hopes of America dimmed in the darkness of the Great Depression, and gold--the nation's lifeblood--hemorrhaged from the financial system. As the economy teetered on the brink of total collapse, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in his first act as president, assumed wartime powers while the nation was at peace and in a "swift, staccato action" unprecedented in United States history recalled all gold and banned its private ownership. But the United States Mint continued, quite legally, to strike nearly a half million 1933 double eagles that were never issued and were deemed illegal to own. In 1937, along with countless millions of other gold coins, they were melted down into faceless gold bars and sent to Fort Knox. The government thought they had destroyed them all--but they were wrong. A few escaped, purloined in a crime--an inside job--that wasn't discovered until 1944. Then, the fugitive 1933 double eagles became the focus of a relentless Secret Service investigation spearheaded by the man who had put away Al Capone. All the coins that could be found were seized and destroyed. But one was beyond their reach, in a king's collection in Egypt, where it survived a world war, a revolution, and a coup, only to be lost again. In 1996, more than forty years later, in a dramatic sting operation set up by a Secret Service informant at the Waldorf-Astoria, an English and an American coin dealer were arrested with a 1933 double eagle which, after years of litigation, was sold in July 2002 to an anonymous buyer for more than $7.5 million in a record-shattering auction. But was it the only one? The lost one? Illegal Tender, revealing information available for the first time, tells a riveting tale of American history, liberally spiced with greed, intrigue, deception, and controversy as it follows the once secret odyssey of this fabulous golden object through the decades. With its cast of kings, presidents, government agents, shadowy dealers, and crooks, Illegal Tender will keep readers guessing about this incomparable disk of gold--the coin that shouldn't be and almost wasn't--until the very end.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Atria Books
ISBN-10
0743274350
ISBN-13
9780743274357
eBay Product ID (ePID)
171875570

Product Key Features

Language
English
Topic
United States / 20th Century, Silver, Gold & Other Metals, General, Coins, Currency & Medals, United States / General, Antiques & Collectibles, History
Author
David Tripp
Illustrator
Yes

Dimensions

Item Height
1.1in
Item Length
8in
Item Weight
12.2 Oz
Item Width
5in

Additional Product Features

Publication Year
2013
Dewey Edition
22
Format
Trade Paperback
Book Title
Illegal Tender : Gold, Greed, and the Mystery of the Lost 1933 Double Eagle
Target Audience
Trade
Dewey Decimal
737.4973
Table of Content
CONTENTS Prologue Part I: Life and Death Chapter 1 The Artist, the President, and the S.O.A.B. Chapter 2 Swift and Staccato Action: The Great Depression Chapter 3 Gold Rush in Reverse Chapter 4 Just a Factory: Making Money Chapter 5 The Great Melt and the Great Escape Part II: On the Law Chapter 6 A Double Eagle Flies to Cairo Chapter 7 A Routine Inquiry Chapter 8 Assistance, Resistance, and Stalemate Chapter 9 The Crooked Cashier Chapter 10 Working the List Chapter 11 Wondering about Woodin Chapter 12 The Red-Headed Philadelphia Sucker and the Deacon Chapter 13 Grounds for Recovery Chapter 14 A Clumsy Liar Chapter 15 Seizures, Suits, and Surrender Chapter 16 A Modern Day Aladdin's Cave: The Coin Escapes Again Part III: Legitimacy Chapter 17 A Double Eagle Reappears Chapter 18 The Homecoming Deal Chapter 19 Put 'Em Up Chapter 20 In Rem Chapter 21 Auction and Absolute Anonymity Epilogue The 1933 Yeti Author's Note Abbreviations Notes Selected Bibliography Acknowledgments Index
Number of Pages
384 Pages

Item description from the seller

AlibrisBooks

AlibrisBooks

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Detailed seller ratings

Average for the last 12 months

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4.9
Reasonable postage costs
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4.9
Communication
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e***l (97)- Feedback left by buyer.
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Super impressed with this seller! They had the best price by far for this book! Both the cost of the book and the shipping fee was far better than average! The book came exactly as described, it was well packaged and quite a bit earlier than expected! The seller was polite and replied quickly to my messages. I’ll definitely make another purchase soon! Thank you to the seller! Be safe and keep up the great work!
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Past 6 months
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WONDERFUL book! Better than described, in just like new condition [not just good]. Packaged very carefully, shipped very securely. Great seller, would buy from again in a heartbeat! No communication occurred, but I imagine it would have been as good as the rest of their customer service. Very happy with purchase, thank you very much!
t***1 (95)- Feedback left by buyer.
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Excellent packaging, expedited shipping, great seller communication, and accurate photo representation. I'm very pleased to have received this graphic novel for a fair and competitive price. Brand new and sealed!! I would highly recommend and purchase from this reputable retailer again. Thank you 👍!

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