Gold Nationalization 1933 – Family Stories ?

[RWB]

I am interested in learning about any depression-era related numismatic stories the members might happen to have.

 

I’m particularly interested in anecdotes relating to the gold hoarding and nationalization orders, or to the conversion of coin collections into ready cash for basic necessities.

 

(Please, no canned “gold bug” tales – that’s not what I’m looking for.)

 

[PerryHall]

I remember reading an interview with a retired mint worker who was around when they were melting the confiscated (stolen) gold coins. He said he remembered several Pan Pac $50 gold commems going into the melting pot. What a shame.

[jtryka]

Didn't Heritage auction a collection of rare gold that was collected by some college professor down south who's brother in law worked at a bank at the time? He basically saved all the old types and rare dates he could find and paid face for them. I remember reading about that some time ago in Coin World.

[TomB]

You may want to get your hands on An Inside View of the Coin Hobby in the 1930s: The Walter P. Nichols File that was edited and published by QDB in 1984. Nichols was a very active coin collector and dealer in the 1930s who also helped push through the legislation for the York half dollar and helped in the distribution, too. There are many saved letters reproduced in this book and some of them, if I recall correctly, involve dealings with folks who wanted to sell their saved gold.