Who Gets Dad's Old Anvil

Once both parents have died, the children have a big job ahead of them. It litterly can take years to wade through all the accumulated stuff. And the stuff might really be valuable (not just monetarily). The sentimental value of a certain item can help ease the lose of the loved one as family reminisces, or it can cause the dreaded family fight that keeps family members from talking to each other for years. An article written by Kelly Greene of the Wall Street Journal entitled, "The Pearls Are Mine!" gives some good suggestions for working through the mountain of stuff in an timely and friendly way.

Inheriting Double Eagle Gold Coins Might Not Be Easy

Israel Switt, a Philadelphia jeweler, died in 1990. In 2003, Switt's daughter, Joan Langbord, discovered ten gold coins in a safety deposit box owned by her father. She is now suing the U.S. Government for the right to inherit those gold coins.

The gold coins in question are called double eagles. In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered all double eagle gold coins to be melted back into gold bars. The double eagles were never released by the U.S. Government. But a few of these gold coins mysteriously got out.

Ms. Langbord insists the government has the burden of proof in this case. This could mean that if the government cannot prove Israel Switt personally stole the double eagles, the gold coins would pass to Israel Switt's heirs. And Israel Switt's heirs could inherit coins that are worth millions of dollars.

A few articles of interst regarding Mr. Switt's double eagle gold coins are:

"Heirs Battle U.S. Mint Over Prized Gold Coins" by the Wall Street Journal
"Family fights government over rare 'Double Eagle' gold coin" by Yahoo
"Pa. family fights US over rare 1933 gold coins" by Associated Press

For more information regarding inheritance issues look here.

Estate Auction of Betty James a.k.a. the Slinky Lady

Saturday the central Pennsylvania estate of the matriarch of the toy company was up for auction. It included some unusual versions of that "fun and wonderful toy."
Betty James died in November at age 90. She co-founded James Industries Inc. in Chester County in 1945 with her husband, who invented the springy Slinky.

Her interesting NY Times Obituary is here. You can take a virtual tour of the estate at roaninc.com

The Perfect Estate Planner

Jeane Dixon's estate is up for sale, including her crystal balls. The auction estimate for each crystal ball is $1,000 to $10,000.

Jeane Dixon (1918-1997) was one of the most well known astrologers and psychics of the 20th century. She had a syndicated astrology column and a best-selling biography. Dixon was an astrological adviser to several celebrities; most famously Nancy and Ronald Reagan. Among her many predictions, including annual New Year predictions, Jeane Dixon is best known for what some believe was her prediction of John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Parade magazine in 1956.

We think a crystal ball would be the perfect estate planning tool.

Heirs Sell Les Memoires

From Forbes

The family of a Virginia dairy farm owner named Harry Walton has put his extensive collection of first edition erotica up for sale. They will be offered by Bloomsbury Auctions on June 23rd. One of them is Mémoirs de Fanny Hill, a French edition of the landmark erotic novel, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by English novelist John Cleland, first published in 1749. Estimated at $4,000-$6,000 and printed in Paris in 1887, it comes encased in a cardboard box covered in handmade marbled paper in subtle tones of mauve, tan and pale blue.

The book is a masterpiece with 51 hand-painted watercolors and 10 engraved plates.

In the lower right corner of page 19, for instance, two women loll in bed naked, illustrating the first time Fanny makes physical contact with her future trade in a London house of ill repute.

Only five copies of the edition exist, each one an original because the paintings are all unique. The Walton erotica lots include an almost-complete collection of first-edition novels published by the Olympia Press. Launched in Paris in 1953, Olympia is famous for having put out controversial titles like Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita and William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch.

The collection is expected to bring in 80 - 120K