1852 $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle PCGS AU53 Ex.SS Central America
SOLD
SKU
SSCA6652
There were only 32 examples of the 1852 $20 Liberty Double Eagle brought up during the original recovery (1999) of the S.S. Central America by the Odyssey Group, as indexed by the reference A California Gold Rush History. PCGS certified 29 of these 32 coins recovered. Now that we know the populations of the second recovery effort (released in 2018), 22 more coins (designated as with a pinch) can be added to that total. Still, hardly enough to go around to all the interested shipwreck collectors!
The present example has the original gold foil insert and is labeled as #6652. We can only account for 3 of the 29 certified coins having appeared at public auction and these all occurred in 2000 (3 AU58s and described as tied for "finest graded" as catalogued by Christies). Another way of looking at it is that there has not been any public appearances for the 1852 double eagle from the SS Central America shipwreck for 19 years!
The present specimen is a rich and moderately lustrous honey gold with some warm orange gold highlights, conservatively certified Choice About Uncirculated AU53.
The S.S. Central America went from being an almost-forgotten maritime disaster to an oft-told treasure tale after the discovery of the wreck -- and the golden cargo within. We highly recommend interested market participants read The Ship of Gold. It has a wonderful account of both the disaster in 1857 and the salvage operation that took place within the last thirty years.
| PCGS # | 8906 |
|---|---|
| Grading Service | NONE |
| Year of Issue | NONE |
| Grade | NONE |
| Denom Type | N/A |
| Numeric Denomination | $20 |
| Mint Location | NONE |
| Designation | NONE |
| Circ/UnCirc | Not Specified |
| Strike Type | N/A |
| Grade Add On | NONE |
| Holder Type | N/A |
