Purchase
The Epic Story of the World's Most Valuable Coin
W. W. Norton
May 2006
320 pages
ISBN: 0393059499
Hardcover
Add to Wish List
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 auctionΓ―ΒΏΒ½. 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.
 Media BuzzDiane Rehm Show - NPR - May 25, 2006
Diane Rehm Show - NPR - May 24, 2006
| 
© 2003-2026