Front page, Coin World, just got the issue. Apparantly, some criminal is claiming to have made it. The Feds are going to confiscate it. Couple of points of discussion. 1, can we believe the criminal? Coin World describes him as a "convicted forger and murderer" but give credence to his story by making it front page news. 2, Feds are going to confiscate it, how's that going to effect the coin market with the Feds going around confiscating coins, while at the same time they're allowing older coins that they used to want to confiscate to be legally sold (for the moment). LOL
1959-D "mule" In the same issue under Auction Previews" it mentions that this Cent is to be auctioned on September 23-24 by Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles.I wonder how this news about a possible confiscation will affect that? If they do confiscate this coin,it'll surprise me.It has already been determined that the Sacagawea "mules" were stolen property and never issued,yet the Secret Service has not acted to obtain these coins. ~ Laz http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ErrorWorld
I don't know what to think about it. It saddens me really because I really want the coin to be authentic. It puts another black mark on the error community if you ask me. If it is indeed fake, I'm ok with the feds confiscating it I guess. If I were the owner I'd be one p.o.'ed person but it's a high stakes coin and Id assume that he knew that is part of the game. I have the article here but have been too lazy to read it. Maybe I'll post another message after I have done so.
8) Personally if the coin is not genuine it should be pulled from the market place as an error and relisted as a counterfiet piece. The fed is probably going to confiscate to figure out how it was accomplished to add that to their database. If it is fake I feel rather bad for the person who bought it originally.
1959-D "mule" The 1959-D Cent "mule" was withdrawn from the Ira and Larry Goldberg Auction 2 hours prior to the start of the Auction.Larry Goldberg stated that they decided to wait until the investigation was finished on the supposed counterfeiter.It shows more than that,it shows that the folks are honest :!: If the government decides to confiscate and destroy the coin,the new owner would be stuck for whatever the cost of this coin would be.I'm sure these people know that playing"the good guy" is very good for buisness too and why not get something back of this possible loss?If they do lose it,they will have paid for the good press,and if they get to keep the coin they win twice 8) ~ Jim
Re: 1959-D "mule" So, are you saying that ALL of the known sac mules have been deemed illegal by the Secret Service? I know that some of them have been but I thought that others had been cleared. Jason http://groups.yahoo.com/group/errorcoininformationexchange/
I think it probably is a forgery. Hofmann described a credible process for making it to Charles Larson (author of Numismatic Forgery) in prison. This, combined with the fact that only one has ever been discovered and the near impossibility of exactly one coin being struck or multiple coins being struck and only one ever found, just seals it for me. That said, I think the secret service shouldn't confiscate it. It's a valuable numismatic piece in its own right, just like other contemporary counterfeit coins.
I have long questioned the government's confiscation policy as incredibly vague, arbitrary, and inconsistent. It very much has a Potter Stewart "I know it when I see it" quality about it. Unfortunately, the general public cannot read the government's mind. I wonder what is next. What about the 1913 Liberty Head Nickels?
Why would you bring up this older than dirt topic? Also, what's electroplating got to do with anything about this coin?