Double Eagle: The Epic Story of the World's Most Valuable Coin

by Alison Frankel

"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 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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2006

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly fascinating story! This account of a single coin is so well-written and bizarre, I have a newfound appreciation for coin collecting and the rarities that exist in the world. I'm definitely happy to have picked up this book and I want more like it!

[Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not expecting a non-fiction book to read like a crime thriller best seller. How wrong I was! Extremely thorough research combined with convincing storytelling creates an epic tale that spans 70 years. About a coin no less. Read it and tell me that you don’t look differently at the change you have around the house…

[John Shedd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never been interested in coin collecting, but fascinating tale of how rarity and greed create unbelievable market value. Good read even if you're not interested in coins, because it's really more about the drive to gain the ultimate prize and make money.

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of the creation, destruction, and eventual re-discovery of the 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle gold coin. Created as part of a planned overhaul of all US coins, renowned Augustus Saint-Gaudens designed the $20 gold piece at the request of President Theodore Roosevelt. Produced for several decades, the 1933 double eagle was produced in massive quantities, only to be held at the mint then destroyed when the US abandoned the gold standard shortly after the inauguration of President Franklin Roosevelt. Only a few coins were saved for the Smithsonian, and as other coins turned up in the following decade, they were confiscated and destroyed. All but one - and Alison Frankel tells the lively tale of that coin and its history into the 21st century in this entertaining history.

[Ann Swaim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy crap! Who knew there could be so much intrigue and betrayal in the world of coins?! There are a LOT of history lessons in here but it's balanced with a heck of a lot of action.

[Kelsey Ockert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it in a day - could not put this down. It's history but written at a thriller like pace.
One of those nonficton books, where the moment you finish it you want to hop online research more.

[Seth Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow at first, but when we hit the late 20th century things really started moving. I would definitely recommend it to someone looking to expand their knowledge of the 1933 double eagle.

[Bob Koelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reminded me of a term paper where there's a minimum word count, so the author puts in as much tangential information to the main subject as possible. Fortunately, I found the asides such as the history of King Farouk interesting, so I didn't mind too much. The legal expertise of the author shines best in the final chapter, as she discusses the government's arguments versus the coin-owner's arguments about who can legally possess the coin in question, and how that was never really established for those who may still have one squirreled away.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this story was super cool. Even though you can find out as much as you want about the 1933 Double Eagle online, the story unfolds in such a great manner that I bet even if you knew what's going to happen (which I didn't) it's still an exciting read. Thanks, library for propping it up on one of your end display things.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing was a bit lifeless, but still an interesting look at the life history of a coin, and and a more interesting look at the lengths the government will go to in order to prosecute ultimately meaningless laws, such as the "illegality" of the double eagle.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was written by a lawyer. You can tell.

The prose is really quite dry, and I thought sometimes she delved a little TOO deeply into the history of the characters. That being said, it was a good book, and I think even people who don't have an interest in coins would enjoy it.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly well-written account of the 1933 $20 double eagle gold pieces struck and recalled by the US goverment. The history has it all: avarice, suspense, corruption, bureaucratic ineptitude, politics, winners, losers, nerds.

[Mike Valente]

AMAZING!

[John Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets my coveted five-star rating. The beginning was interesting, but a bit slow. About half-way through, it got really good.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story.

[Phil (Theophilus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The nail-biting story of how a gold coin that was banned somehow made its way out of the Philly mint and into the hands of private collectors in the 1930s.