I must apologize, dear readers, for the slight tardiness of this post. Every year at this time the clan gathers at the home of my multi-talented and still radiant 80 year old mom in West Palm Beach, Florida, where for two weeks we eat, play tennis, eat some more, and generally poke fun at one another.
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\nThough currently I\u2019m on vacation, the spirits never rest, and today I\u2019ve got another news story to enter into my paranormal journal. This morning I had a dream about an elderly gent who was showing me some rare gold coins worth a small fortune. Upon waking I didn\u2019t think much of the dream, but soon afterward I came upon a story in the news that had my mouth agape. It was exactly like my dream!<\/p>\n
Seems there was this jeweler in Philadelphia, Israel Switt, who had an interest in old coins. Upon his death back in 1990, his daughter Joanne found ten double-sided eagle gold coins that went mysteriously missing during FDR\u2019s presidency. They had been tucked away by Switt in a safety deposit box left for his daughter. <\/p>\n
She immediately had them appraised and was stunned to learn they were worth somewhere in the neighborhood of eighty million dollars. Now that sounds like a nice neighborhood! But then the gov\u2019t moved in to claim ownership, spoiling everything. Naturally, the Switt family waged their own battle in the courts to keep the coins for themselves\u2014purely for sentimental reasons, of course! <\/p>\n
The family lawyer claims Joanne\u2019s dad had the legal right to trade bouillon for treasury coins, a common practice back then, while the gov\u2019t feels certain Switt was in cahoots with a shady cashier at the US mint to steal the treasure. Switt was even under investigation a couple of times during the depression era for illegally possessing rare coins and his license to trade gold had been revoked.<\/p>\n
She immediately had the gold coins appraised and was stunned to learn they were worth somewhere in the neighborhood of eighty million dollars<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
So far, the courts have still not decided who the rightful owner is, though personally I\u2019m rooting for the family. Though the old jeweler may have been stealing treasure from the mint, there\u2019s something sexy about a robber getting away with the gold that has you rooting for the pirate against the cold long arm of the law. <\/p>\n
Of course, greed never does pay off for anyone in the end. Switt\u2019s gold coins remained buried in a small box for decades, he never got to spend a cent of his ill-gotten gains, likely his family won\u2019t see any of the money either, and in the end no one can take it with them!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I must apologize, dear readers, for the slight tardiness of this post. Every year at this time the clan gathers at the home of my multi-talented and still radiant 80 year old mom in West Palm Beach, Florida, where for … Continue reading