U.S. Mint must fight family to keep rare 1933 coins

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. government must fight to keep a set of rare “double eagle” coins claimed by the family of a Philadelphia jeweler.

The government says none of the rare coins legally left the U.S. Mint after President Franklin D. Roosevelt abandoned the gold standard in 1933. The coins were instead melted down, though a few apparently survived.

The family of the late Philadelphia jeweler Israel Switt say they found 10 of them in a safety deposit box in 2003. They asked the Mint to authenticate them, but officials instead kept them on grounds they are government property.

A federal judge in Philadelphia says the government improperly seized the $20 coins and must seek forfeiture through the courts.

The coins could now be worth millions of dollars each.