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The Epic Story of the World's Most Valuable Coin
W. W. Norton
May 2006
320 pages
ISBN: 0393059499
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
Few objects in history tell a tale that can match this
one coin's for drama and sheer improbability. Stolen from the U.S. Mint in the depths of the Great
Depression, shipped via diplomatic pouch to Egypt, hidden
for forty years, seized in a 1996 government sting at the
Waldorf-Astoria, and finally sold in a record-setting
auction�. One coin, for years the only known 1933 twenty-dollar Double
Eagle in the world, has inspired the passions of thieves and
collectors, lawyers and charlatans. Its extraordinary story
winds across seventy years and three continents, linking an
almost unbelievable cast of characters: Theodore Roosevelt
and a Philadelphia gold dealer with underworld connections;
Egypt's King Farouk and an apple-cheeked Secret Service
agent; London's most successful coin dealer and a retired
trucker from Amarillo. Alison Frankel's stylish narrative hums at the pace of a
thriller. Her meticulously researched descriptions and vivid
character studies bring the coin's history to life and
illuminate the world of coin collecting, where the desire to
possess often borders on madness. 8 pages of illustrations.
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