Chapter 1

Leaving Smith standing in the door of his first floor apartment, Persephone trotted up the stairway and entered her own rooms. Edmond was sitting on the floor surrounded by the chests that came from the trunk.

"Look what I found," he said, holding up a map.

"What's that?" she asked ... though she was distracted by the coin boxes.

"It's a map," he explained.

"About?"

"You know those boats that didn't sell?"

"You're kidding!"

"Nope ... they're spread out all over the US ... and there's even a list on the back that tells how long before the prepaid marina fees run out. The shortest marina fees run out in five years."

"Five Years!?! Well ... we have money ... we have the titles ... we can go look."

"Money?"

"Yup ... lots of money, filthy lucre. Bunches ... it was in the chest I opened."

"What kind of money?"

"Gold coins ... you never even missed me, did you?"

"You went somewhere?"

"Downstairs. Mr. Smith is a coin collector. I took one down. It's worth fifteen grand."

"Wow! Where is it?"

"I gave it to him."

"WHAT?!?"

"Don't get excited ... there's 11 more of that year and half a million or more in the other three years." She grinned, "I'm trying to keep under control ... there's 71 more boxes of coins in this one chest ... who knows?" She popped up again, "Don't go away. I'll be back."

Mr. Smith was still standing in his living room. The door was still open. She knocked on the frame.

"You want it back ... I knew it." Mr. Smith was shaking ... tremors really ... shaking would be too ... well ... shaking.

"Nope, I want to borrow your book and a hundred dollars."

"Hundred dollars?"

"We need a safety deposit box ... first thing Monday morning. Do you know a collector who might buy a couple of coins?" she asked, pensively. "If you do, I don't need to borrow the money ... No ... don't call now ... it's a quarter to three in the morning."

"The collectors I know would kill me if I waited 'til morning." His phone rang, "Sorry Abe. I wouldn't call if it wasn't important. Gold, Abe... 1879-O ... perfect. Yes... 1879-O ... Abe? Abraham? He hung up."

Within fifteen minutes there was a knock on the door frame ... Abraham, in pajamas and kippah, with a locking briefcase in hand. Mr. Smith handed Abe the coin...

"Jesus! You touched it!."

"I wouldn't have known what it was if I didn't touch it. Quit complaining ... I could have called the Italian."

"That goy! He'd steal the fillings out of your teeth!"

"He says that about you."

They both laughed. Abe looked at Persephone ... she was sorta dressed ... tee and tight silk sleep shorts ... barefoot. He raised a Groucho eyebrow.

Mr. Smith immediately took umbrance. "Don't get the wrong idea, Abe. She's my upstairs neighbor ... and the finder of that coin you're carrying. It's for sale."

There ensued a scramble for the second bedroom. Mr. Smith kept his numismatic collection there. After intensive examination, Abe said, "Twenty Five."

Seph looked askance at such a low offer.

Mr. Smith took her in the living room. "The twenty five is thousand ... run up stairs and bring me one each of the ones you have."

"I haven't even looked at all of them yet. I've only looked at four boxes."

"Bring me one each of what you have open."

She brought down a sealed1879-O and gave it to Mr. Smith. He put on gloves and slid the coin from the packet ... checked the date and closed it back. He took the 1881, 1882 and 1885 into the bedroom.

Abe was looking at Smiths' nickel collection. He unbent, groaning, as the two came in.

"Old sucks," he commented, arching his back ... the cracking was audible. Smith handed him the three remaining pouches. "What's this? More?"

Noticing that Smith was wearing gloves, Abe opened his case and took out a new pair. Butlers' Gloves, he called them. Looking in each pouch, he sat down. Nodding his head and muttering, he affixed a loupe to his glasses and examined each coin. They were untouched ... uncirculated is a grade most coin collectors lust after ... untouched? one never finds them.

'The United States Gold Reserve Act of January 30, 1934 required that all gold and gold certificates held by the Federal Reserve be surrendered and vested in the sole title of the United States Department of the Treasury.

The Gold Reserve Act outlawed most private possession of gold, forcing individuals to sell it to the Treasury, after which it was stored in United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox and other locations. The act also changed the nominal price of gold from $20.67 per troy ounce to $35.

A year earlier, in 1933, Executive Order 6102 had made it a criminal offense for U.S. citizens to own or trade gold anywhere in the world, with exceptions for some jewelry and collector's coins.'

(Excerpt from WIKI)

For this reason, untouched gold coins were nearly impossible to find ... Abe had three of the rarest dates in his hand. He turned to Smith..."Are there more?"

Smith looked at Seph. She nodded.

"How many?"

Seph gulped and whispered, "Seventy-one boxes of twelve coins ... I think ... and one box of ten and three of eleven coins ... each." She paused, "The box of ten are all 1879-O's"

"You think?"

"I haven't looked."

"May I see?"

In the end, Seph carried the chest of coins to Mr. Smith's apartment.

"This one coin is improbable... 12 of them is ... is ... is ... impossible. If I wasn't holding them in my hand ... I don't know what to think. The last 1933 Double Eagle was auctioned off for $7.59 million. The buyer has been offered 12 for it. Not for sale.

"445,500 specimens of this Saint-Gaudens double eagle were minted in 1933, the last year of production for the double eagle, but no specimens ever officially circulated and nearly all were melted down, due to the discontinuance of the domestic gold standard in 1933. It's not possible ... but here they are. I don't know what to say ... do you want to sell them?"

"I'd like to keep two of each ... but yes, I'd like to sell them."

"The ten '33 Saint-Gaudens had best be sold in England or France or maybe China ... Hong Kong ... as for the rest ... untouched..." he mumbled to himself... "Seventy-five"... "No ... seventy-four" Mumble mumble ... head scratching ... fetching a kerchief to wipe his brow..."At auction" ... mumble... "Ahem"... "Each as a set"... "Yes ... Yes ... Yes." He fumbled for his phone. Speed dial One...

"Sorry, it's important ... and secret."

"On your mothers life."

"An untouched set of double eagles from 1857 to 1931 ... what would you... ?"

" ... I see ... that much..."

"I had no idea."

"Now, here's an interesting proposition."

" ... Ten sets of seventy four..."

"Yes."

"I'm looking at them."

"As we speak."

"Let me ask."

He held his cell phone to his chest.

"Miss?"

"Persephone."

"Persephone, I want to buy one complete set, not including the '33, for ... one moment."

He spoke into his phone.

"How much for one set again?"

"Be right back."

He chested his phone.

"Two point four million." A big pause as Seph tried to catch her breath. "Mike, get her a glass of water ... sorry. I take that as a yes."

After a long drink, Seph said, "For that kind of money, I'll keep one set and sell the other. We ARE talking about Twenty-Four Million Dollars?"

"Yes." He gulped, "I need to take the other sets to New York, tomorrow ... err ... Monday. The 24 million is the absolute low bid. It could be more."

When Seph went to tell Ed he was on the phone..."Theater People," he explained. "They're always awake."

Seph waved a hand in front of his face.

"Just a second, Jamie." He cradled his phone. "Yes?" he inquired.

"I'm off to New York ... I'll be back Monday." She headed for the bedroom. Packing noises ensued. A miracle, she packed an overnight bag.

Monday, she breezed into the apartment. Ed wasn't there. The trunk and eleven unopened chests were still scattered about the room.