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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Troodon, post: 443700, member: 4626&quot;]My understanding is the government got half of the hammer price (the commision all went to the auctioneer).&nbsp; The $20 was a token amount the government wanted so they can claim it was monetized and thus legally issued.</p><p><br /></p><p>The person it was seized from wanted the coin... the government wanted to assert its position that they have the sole right to declare what US coins are legally issued, and which or not... the government realized they had a tricky case, and so offered to settle.&nbsp; Basically the agreement was that the government got to declare the coin their property, and got to decalre it was legal to own because they said so and not because their hand was forced... in exchange for that concession they were willing to give up half its auctioned value (minus $20 for issuance).</p><p><br /></p><p>So whether or not a 1933 double eagle is legal to own... it&#039;s the government&#039;s position it is not, except for this one exception they made... has still never been tested in court.&nbsp; Maybe it will be, over the 10 Switt coins... I&#039;d think that would set an important precendent for other patterns, rarities, etc. that the US Mint has produced that may still be hiding out there.&nbsp; Be a good court case to pay attention to![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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