The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 39, September 11, 2005, Article 10

NEW NOVEL ABOUT THE 1933 DOUBLE EAGLE

And speaking of novels with coin-related themes, an article
in today's Cleveland Plain-Dealer reviews a new novel whose
plot revolves around the 1933 Double Eagles. (Are we
going in circles here?)

"Meet Tom Kirk, hero of the nimble global romp "The Double
Eagle" and heir to the throne of the twisty international thriller,
a seat that has belonged to Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan for more
than two decades.

Newly minted author James Twining (himself a scion of the
Twining tea dynasty) is already hard at work on the second
Tom Kirk novel."

"Five gold coins known as double eagles have disappeared from
the impenetrable Fort Knox - one turning up in the belly of a
murdered Italian priest. At first, the feds think Kirk pulled off the
improbable heist and enlist FBI agent Jennifer Browne to retrieve
Kirk and the currency."

To read the full article, see: Full Story

The book went on sale August 30th. The following quote from
the author is on the publisher's web page for the book:

"Ever since I first got interested in art, I have been collecting
articles about art related heists or scams. One article in particular,
though, had stuck in my mind since the first moment I'd read about
it. It was this that now immediately suggested itself to me as the
perfect back-story against which I could to introduce Tom to the
world.

The story in question concerns the 1933 Double Eagle. This is a
legendary $20 gold coin that was part of a batch never issued to
the public, having been minted a few weeks after FDR banned
people from owning gold. This was a last ditch measure by him
to help shore up federal gold reserves during The Great Depression.
Consequently, the entire 1933 minting run was melted down.

However, this particular coin enjoyed a charmed and extraordinary
life, having been stolen from the Philadelphia Mint (and thereby
surviving the melting), finding its way into the private coin collection
of King Farouk of Egypt, and then vanishing for over forty years,
until its eventual seizure by Federal Agents in the Waldorf Astoria
in New York. When it sold for $8 million at auction, it became the
most expensive coin in the world."

To read the full interview, see: Full Story

[Which article inspired the book - the one in Playboy?
-Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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