A Utah woman who tried paying for Walmart groceries with $20 Gold Double Eagles was apparently turned away, and then exchanged 14 of them at a nearby bank for face value, according to one of the most unusual coin stories ever relayed in the media.
In a further twist, the bank’s teller apparently realized the uniqueness of the coins, bought them for what he paid the lady, and later learned of their value from a coin dealer.
As the story continues, we discover the teller was fired and a search for the woman is in progress.
$20 Double Eagles were minted from 1849 to 1907. Each has nearly an ounce of gold at .96750 oz and an intrinsic value of about $920 based on the Tuesday morning gold spot price. As most coin collectors well know, the numismatic value of Double Eagles exceeds their melt value by more than a pretty penny, leaving everyone to wonder about the story behind the coins… and the woman who misjudged their worth and the attention they would bring.
For the interesting account, watch the embedded NBC2 News video.
[Editor’s update: The latest news is that the woman has been found, and arrested under the suspicion she stole the coins. For more, read Woman arrested over gold coins exchanged at bank from the Salt Lake Tribune.]
