Looks Like We Still Have A Long Way To Go

Ever seen the ad for the 1933 Double Eagle Gold Coin? I saw it just now on the History Channel. "It's the rarest $20 gold piece and the single rarest coin ever struck. Our Treasury Department estimates its worth at up to $8 million dollars!" Now, so I heard, you can get your own government issued $20 piece at, are you sitting down, face value. That's right, if you act now, you get an $8 million dollar coin for just 20 bucks. I was instantly pulled in.

Then, the guy recounted the story of how the coin was lost and recovered and is now so amazingly valuable. "When President Roosevelt ordered the destruction of gold coins in 1933, one single coin escaped meltdown. Then it was stolen, bought, hidden, and finally seized by the Treasury Department, and sealed in a vault at Fort Knox. Now it has become the single most valuable coin ever struck when it was auctioned in New York City on July 30th, 2002."

Guess that settles it. Where do I call?

Folks, this commercial has been running for a looooong time. It costs money to run commercials. That money is usually provided by sales of whatever happens to be selling on those commercials. Ergo, some idiots are buying these things (idiots who watch the History Channel, no less). To do what, spend them? Hell no, they're worth $8 million bucks.

Wonder what they do when Vinny at the Pawn Shop says it's worth 20 bucks? Oh well, looks like an enlightened nation is still quite a long distance over the horizon...