PA estate planning and Will laws, intestate succession

Anything your mother neglected to mention in the will passes by your states rules of intestate succession unless it is joint tenancy property. If, on the other hand, your mother gave you the coins before she died, it's a gift and the beneficiary under the will is not entitled to them.

I suggest that you contact the attorney and explain to him that the coins were given to you before your mother passed away, that she intended them to be a gift and that she did not intend them to be a part of her estate distribution. This would be bolstered by any evidence that this was a gift and when it was given such as a note from your mother, family members who she might have spoken to or any other material. Also note, that assuming this was a gift made six years before DOD then no inheritance tax in PA should be paid either.

The coins you refer to appear to be a gift. They are not mentioned in her will because the gift was already complete. They ceased to be an asset of hers a long time ago. Now, if you wish to dispose of the coins find a reliable dealer who will pay a fair price, or if you want to know more about them, try reading a few books about coins like Smithsonian Guide to Coin COllecting (Ganz, HarperCollins 2008) or Profitable Coin Collecting (Ganz, Krause, 2008)