Mint Seek Return Of 1974-D Aluminum cent

http://www.coinworld.com/content/cw...eeks-return-of-1974-D-aluminum-cent.all.html#

 

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Our court system? Heck, six months just to schedule a preliminary hearing. Somewhere along the way "speedy justice" became a foreign term in this country.

 

I read the below a couple of days ago in the San Diego union Tribune, but assumed it would be in other press releases, but maybe not,

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/30/aluminum-penny-mint-lawsuit-denver-ruling/

 

I think the bottom line is, its against the law to own it, period

 

Even if it was given to him as a "retirement gift"? I guess the gov't would say that it should not have happened, the person giving it did not have the authority, or didn't document it properly, etc.

 

Reminds me of the St. Gaudens, from a couple of yrs ago

 

Exactly which law might that be?

I'd be curious to know.

Were the coins distributed with the specific notation that they should be returned to whomever gave them out? Were they signed for?

Exactly how does that stuff work?

 

The "error" coins on the clock "should not have happened" and more specifically error coins in and of themselves were not "supposed" to be released to the public so, again, exactly what law was broken?

Come to think of it, since no documentation existed on any "Denver" coins, there really wasn't any "documentation" at all.

 

story goes, they were in a bag, going to be destroyed, bag riped, and all over they went, key word: Destroyed

 

Oakland california, armored car back door flys open, money everwhere, can you keep it ? ? ? o-ya, true story too

 

They were "loaned" to congressmen at the time so they could make an intelligent decision on the proposed law. Afterwards, the mint formally asked for these back, and stated at the time none had ever left government ownership. In the eyes of the government, they have never officially given up ownership of any of these, and I doubt anyone will be able to produce a document proving they ever have.
Even if it were given to his father at retirement, that doesn't prove anything. Was this a gift from the government, or just from coworkers? If just from coworkers, they gave him something they didn't have a right to give. Someone who works at my factory does not have the right to give away a ase of cheese just because they work with cheese every day. They do not own it, just like workers in the mint never owned these aluminum cents.
The owner should just donate it to the Smithsonian.

 

theres 1 there

 

Yeah, but the mint was noted for selling off pattern coins to collectors in the 19th century. How many 20th century pattern coins do you see in Judd? A heck of a lot less, right? Saying that the mint sold them to collectors in the 19th century is a pretty flimsy argument when the mint immediately after these cents were struck in 1974 issued a public declaration stating they legally have not sold these and they retain ownership. In my mind, this situation is more akin to the 1933 double eagles, since the mint has always maintained they never sold one, so any outside their possession is theft of government property.

 

I have no doubt that on the legal side of things...the government is right and has the legal right to the coin since they never gave up ownership.

However (and I'm not trying to be overly political here)...but it just seems like a pretty stupid thing to use tax-payer money to pay legal fees to try and reposes the coin. Heck, every time the thing sells (and it will sell for a lot)...they get to collect taxes. Seems like a benefit to leave it in public hands.

 

They could legalize the '33 Double Eagle, they should do the same with the '64 Peace and the '74-D Lincoln.

 

pcgs has it listed for: 500,000.00