See the mints press release http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/?ac..._campaign=20160317+News+Release+Aluminum+Coin
This one? If so, will Mint break it out, so PCGS won't get free advertising/publicity from planned "display"?
Unfortunately, government agencies have the tendency to hand out things to officials that are not theirs to give out. Sorry that the heir is getting burned but the Mint, I'm sure, is taking the stand in order to discourage pilfering by its employees. The coin was never anything but government property.
There's also a 1974 bronze clad steel cent out there. http://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/2012/05/1974-bronze-clad-steel-cent.html
Not really, their legal fees far outweighed the cost of any cents that have or would be taken. Someone just decided to try and make a career move off of it. The government has had absolutely no consistency about what they allow to stay in the market and what they go after.
"The heir provided the piece to an auction firm and hoped to sell it." Well there ya go, greedy people who can't keep their mouths shut - don't feel sorry for them one bit!
How is a coin that was never authorized to be struck (The mint never ordered it to be made and the mint has no record of it ever being struck. It was most likely privately produced on the initiative of a mint employee for his own purposes. ) a "valuable heritage asset"? This also establishes a precedent that would allow them to confiscate the 1913 V nickels as well. They were also struck by an employee with no authorization and removed from the mint. There is no difference between this cent or the 1913 V nickels, or the restrike 1804 dollars.
The Mint probably could make a case for seizing those coins, if it chose to do so. Once again, the illegally struck coins did not belong to the worker. They belonged to the government. I'm not saying the Mint should try to seize them after all these years, but it could. This is simple law. I believe there is a long-running court case involving unreleased gold coins from the 1930s.