Court Rehears Case Involving Langbord 1933 Double Eagles

By Hubert Walker for CoinWeek….
On Wednesday, October 14, the two parties in the case of Langbord et al v. U.S. Department of Treasury et al (Case No. 12-4574)–namely, the Federal Government and the Langbord family–appeared before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In July of this year, the Philadelphia United States Attorney’s Office filed a petition with the Third Circuit Court to rehear the case of the Langbord-Switt 1933 double eagles. This followed an April hearing wherein a three-judge panel ruled in favor of the Langbord family in their attempts to regain possession of 10 Saint-Gaudens 1933 double eagle gold coins alleged to have been stolen from the United States Mint by family member Israel Switt. Because the government considers the never-circulated coins to be stolen property, the U.S. Treasury Department had seized the coins in 2004 when the Langbord family sent them to the Mint for authentication.

Langbord attorney Barry Berke, who had previously negotiated a deal with the government concerning the sale and ownership of the King Farouk of Egypt 1933 double eagle in 2001, argued that the United States erred when it did not respond to the family’s seized property claim within the 90-day window allotted by law. The U.S. Attorney’s Office countered this argument by saying the property belonged to the United States and was stolen, thereby invalidating the claims of the Langbord family.

As of the publication of this article, the 10 gold coins–referred to in court papers as “John Doe” one through 10–remain in government possession.

No ruling has been given in this latest hearing as of yet, and no deadline for a decision has been mandated. CoinWeek will continue to follow the story as it develops.

Source

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/05efe6aa43a44e02a5e4595e99e848d9/court-again-considers-fate-seized-gold-coins-worth-80m

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Previous coverage of the Langbord-Switt 1933 double eagles on CoinWeek:

1. Coin Rarities & Related Topics: The Fate of 10 Switt-Langbord 1933 Double Eagles
2. Langbord-Switt 1933 Double Eagles to Remain in Government Hands
3. Federal Judge Upholds Verdict: Switt-Langbord 1933 Double Eagles remain “Property of the Government”
4. Government’s Case to Confiscate Langbord-Switt 1933 Double Eagles Crumbles
5. Third Circuit Asked to Rehear Case Involving Langbord 1933 Double Eagles