Product Description

"A thrilling page-turner....This is a great read."—Publishers Weekly, starred review 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, Texas

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #612097 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 360 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Frankel, senior writer at the American Lawyer, has produced a thrilling page-turner about the most common of objects—a coin. Granted, the coin in question is no ordinary piece of change. Produced at the Philadelphia Mint in 1933, the $20 Double Eagle was the last gold coin made in the United States and never officially placed in circulation. Still, in the sometimes shadowy world of numismatics, one of the coins surfaced and was chased around the globe for nearly 70 years. In hard-driving prose, Frankel chronicles the events and characters that orbit this small piece of precious metal. Acquired by shady gold dealer Israel Switt, "a squat, balding redhead who wore thick-rimmed glasses, cheap suits, and a perpetual sneer," the coin found its way into the collection of King Farouk of Egypt, a ruler described by Frankel as having an appetite for collecting "so unquenchable and undiscriminating that he seemed almost cartoonish." Frankel demonstrates her journalistic skill with sparkling accounts of deals, investigations and the arcane rituals of the coin world. This is a great read for the obsessed collector and general public alike. 8 pages of b&w photos. (May)
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Review
A thriller-like narrative that tacks swiftly back and forth among the principal players. -- Jason Goodwin, Wall Street Journal

Frankel steers her reader through a world of coin fairs, backroom deals, gossip and meticulous scholarship. The result is a thriller-like narrative that tacks swiftly back and forth among the principal players. (Jason Goodwin - Wall Street Journal )

About the Author
Alison Frankel is a senior writer at The American Lawyer. Her work has also appeared in Newsday, the New York Times, and several other national magazines. She lives in Sea Cliff, New York.

Customer Reviews

Excellent book for collectors and non-collectors alike
I procured an advance copy on ebay, and I loved it. I learned quite a bit about coin collecting, 20th century numismatics, King Farouk, and collectibles and the law. It was a very enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it, for both coin collectors and non-collectors.

This Real-Life Detective Story Is On the Money!
I know nothing about coin collecting, but I bought this book on a whim -- the cover is striking -- and read the whole thing the first night. King Farouk, Teddy Roosevelt, obsessed Secret Service agents, shady coin dealers, clever lawyers... this book has it all, and I just couldn't stop reading until I finished the whole thing. Double Eagle is so much more than the saga of a gold coin. It's a compelling narrative, a fascinating work of history, an incisive study of collecting mania and, most of all, a thriller that ends with a twist that will shock you. I'd give it six stars if I could.

Gripping, factual and extraodinarily well written.
As a successful collector of St. Gaudens $20 I say this is by far the better of the few books about the chicanery, sneeky dealings and inevitabe "sting" surrounding the 1933 $20 Saint Gaudens. The author wastes no time jumping into the thick of things and every page is full of insight and great reading. There's no fluff in this book, it's cover to cover great "stuff"....the players, the government, the mint officials and the setup man, Izzy Switt are all followed in a way worthy of a murder mystery. What's also great is that inasmuch as this will appeal to the general public, it's really appealing to coin collectors because of the author's research into the inner dealings of the coin world. One coin...one incredible non-fiction novel!