"2015330700002101-007-0000, Seized on 10/14/2014; At the port of DENVER, CO; 76 GOLD COLORED TOKENS MARKED "BITCOIN"; 76; EA; Valued at $30,804.32;:
The value of these coins is intrinsic to the materials that they are made from, namely a base metal plated in gold. The government has valued these novelty bitcoins as having a value approximately equal to the current value actual of BTC; nowhere near the real value of the novelty coins, which is about a dollar each. For all intents and purposes, it is perfectly reasonable to assume that these coins are novelties and not backed by any actual BTC value. It is illogical to send physical BTC through the mail when it is far easier to send them through the blockchain, the way they were intended.
The coins were seized under the federal code 18USC981(A)(1)(A), 18USC1960. These are civil asset seizure statues which pertain specifically to money laundering.
This is the future sending bitcoin through the mail and drugs through the internet.