There has been concern that the court decision to make whole all innocent third parties in the Bernard von NotHause case will affect collector prices by flooding the market with returned Liberty Dollars. This will not happen. Here is why.
At the bottom of this page is the post that was on the government forfeiture site giving notice to interested parties who had a claim on the seized material. From that information it can be deduced that 211.09 ounces of gold was seized. They were as follows;
(17) 2008 $50 1/20th oz.
(39) 2006 $1000 1 oz.
(54) 2008 $1000 1 oz. Ron Paul
(8) 2008 $1000 PEACE (no one outside the mint has ever seen one of these)
(46) 2000 $500 1 oz.
(63.24 ounces of all sized seized from the Evansville office)
These small numbers of gold pieces would have no effect on collector values even if they were returned to the public. Only four gold ounces were claimed for return by third parties in court petitions - one was mine.
The one thing that surprised me was the number of 1999 one ounce silver they got, which was 958. Even this many returning to their owners would have little impact on collector prices. There were already several thousand in the hands of the people.
The vast majority of material seized by the government was dated 2007 and 2008. The court decision made it clear that all pieces minted BEFORE the mint warning of late 2006 were NOT contraband. That means all of the 2007 and 2008 pieces ARE still considered contraband. Because of that, they definitely will not be returned. That leaves the court no choice. They do not have enough specie that is not contraband to make the innocent whole. They might return bulk silver, but my guess is they will send checks for the market value of the metal. One might argue that after sending out checks, the government will sell the seized material into the collector market. This is not likely to happen. Releasing contraband back to the public would be too damaging to the government image (not that they could do too much more to it....). The net result is that;
The Court Decision Will Have NO Impact on Collector Values!
2019 update:
My analysis of the situation was apparently incorrect. It was correct with respect to gold Liberty Dollars, but SOME silver prices WERE affected by the return of Liberty Dollars to raid victims, notably 1998 and 1999 pieces. Pieces with those dates have been appearing with increased frequency in ebay auctions since the government returned silver to victims. Since it was returned indiscriminately, there is no way of knowing who got what dates.
Below is the post that was on the government forfeiture site giving notice to interested parties who had a claim on the seized material.
USAO OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION POSTED ON MARCH 21, 2015
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA, STATESVILLE DIVISION
COURT CASE NUMBER: 5:09CR27; NOTICE OF FORFEITURE
Notice is hereby given that on February 25, 2015, in the case of U.S. v. Bernard
Von Nothaus, Court Case Number 5:09CR27, the United States District Court for the
Western District of North Carolina entered an Order condemning and forfeiting the
following property to the United States of America:
~~ 3039.375 lbs. of copper valued at approximately $10,029.93; 5930.32 Troy ounces
of silver valued at approximately $89,369.92; 63.24 Troy ounces of gold valued at
approximately $51,572.22; 3 platinum coins valued at approximately $700.00
(08-FBI-000308), including the following items: 1 5930.32 Troy ounces of silver; 1
63.24 Troy ounces of gold; 3 3 platinum coins; 1 3039.375 pounds of copper; 1
2500 Aluminum rounds (coins) @ approx. 4.4 grams/round which was seized from
Norfed Fulfillment Office on November 14, 2007 at 225 No. Stockwell Rd., located
in Evansville, IN
~~ 179,674.6 Troy ounces of silver coins, bars and scrap metal valued at
approximately $2,707,696.10; 147.85 Troy ounces of gold coins valued at
approximately $120,571.67 (08-FBI-000319), including the following items: 171 960
1998 - 2007 $10.00 - $50.00 and NORFED Liberty Coins; 2 958 1999 NORFED
Liberty Coins; 7 320 2000,2003,2005 and 2007 $10.00, $20.00 and $50 .00 Liberty
Coins; 1 110 2005 $20.00 Liberty Coins; 1 67 2000 $10.00 Liberty Coins; 1 39
2004 $20.00 Liberty Coins; 1 27 2005 $10.00 Liberty Coins; 1 36 2006 $20.00
Liberty Coins; 1 39 2006 $1,000.00 Liberty Coins; 1 45 2008 $1,000.00 Ron Paul
Gold Coins; 1 9 2008 $1,000.00 Ron paul Gold Coins; 1 8 2008 $1,000.00 Peace
Gold Coins; 1 46 2000 $500.00 Liberty USA Gold Coins; 1 17 2008 $50.00 .05
ounce Liberty Gold Coins; 1 410 2008 $10.00 Peace .5 ouce Silver Coins; 1 300
2008 $10.00 Peace .5 ouce Silver Coins; 1 11 JM silver bars and scrap totaling
10,720.60 oun ces which was seized from Sunshine Mint on November 14, 2007 at
750 West Canfield Avenue, located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
~~ 1,000 .50 Troy ounce silver Peace coins valued at approximately $7,360.00
(08-FBI-000429) which was seized from Sunshine Mint on November 26, 2007 at
750 West Canfield Avenue, located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
~~ 1000 .50 Troy ounce silver Peace coins valued at approximately $7,115.00
(08-FBI-000579) which was seized from Sunshine Mint on November 29, 2007 at
750 West Canfield Avenue, located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
~~ $254,534.09 in funds from Integra Bank acct. #7801142980 in the name Bernard
Von Nothaus Acct# 7801142980 (08-FBI-001620) which was seized from Integra
Bank N.A. on November 14, 2007 at 21 S.E. Third St., P.O. Box 868, located in
Evansville, IN
~~ 100 copper coins valued at approximately $20.63 (08-FBI-003462) which was
seized from Innes, Kevin on November 14, 2007 at 7 1/2 Green Oak Road, located
Page 2 USAO OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION POSTED ON MARCH 21, 2015
in Asheville, NC
~~ Dies, molds and casts (08-FBI-003469) which was seized from Sunshine Mint on
November 14, 2007 at 750 West Canfield Avenue, located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
The United States hereby gives notice of its intent to dispose of the forfeited
property in such manner as the United States Attorney General may direct. Any
person, other than the defendant(s) in this case, claiming interest in the forfeited
property must file a Petition within 60 days of the first date of publication (March 10,
2015) of this Notice on this official government internet web site, pursuant to Rule 32.2
of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and 21 U.S.C. § 853(n)(1). The petition
must be filed with the Clerk of the Court, 100 Otis Street, Asheville, NC 28801, and a
copy served upon Assistant United States Attorney Thomas R. Ascik, 100 Otis Street,
US Courthouse, Rm. 233, Asheville, NC 28801. The petition shall be signed by the
petitioner under penalty of perjury and shall set forth the nature and extent of the
petitioner's right, title or interest in the forfeited property, the time and circumstances of
the petitioner's acquisition of the right, title and interest in the forfeited property and any
additional facts supporting the petitioner's claim and the relief sought, pursuant to 21
U.S.C. § 853(n).
Following the Court’s disposition of all petitions filed, or if no such petitions are
filed, following the expiration of the period specified above for the filing of such
petitions, the United States shall have clear title to the property and may warrant good
title to any subsequent purchaser or transferee.