Was Scrooge a Scofflaw?

[Marc Ponto]

Here's another wild card in the theoretical discussion of the quantity
of gold coins in Scrooge’s money bin. As part of an effort to reform
monetary policies during the Great Depression, Roosevelt and the US
Congress took the controversial step of rescinding the gold standard and
actually prohibited the ownership of gold coins. The scarcity and value
of such coins today is largely because most were turned in and melted
down. While collectors could apparently obtain some exemptions, most
gold coins saved from extinction were probably done so illegally. Did
Scrooge follow the letter of the law and trade in his gold for paper
certificates, did he somehow obtain a mass exemption for his horde, or
did the feisty coot defy the Fed? Debate on.

Marc Ponto