Court Rules $40 Million in Coins Belong to the United States

"Double Eagle" coins were allegedly stolen property

A jury in Philadelphia has established that 10 gold coins produced in 1933—called “Double Eagles”—are the rightful property of the United States government. The coins—which were originally worth $20 each—had been sitting in a safe deposit box owned by 81-year-old Joan Langboard. Langboard’s father—Israel Switt—is alleged to have obtained the coins illegally from the U.S. mint in Philadelphia in the ’30s. Experts say that the 10 coins could have fetched for a total of $40 million at auction. The Scoop thought he was having a rough day—it certainly hasn’t been “lost out on $40 million” bad. [ABC News]