World Silver - 1855-So Republic of Chile 50 Centavos PCGS Ex. S.S. Central America

A report in Coin World, “SS Central America site reveals more treasure,” written by Steve Roach and published on July 25, 2014, states, “Also notable was the recovery of 1,529 coins described as foreign silver coins, most of which were silver peso coins from Chile.”

Research tells us that there were numerous South Americans included among the passengers aboard the S.S. Central America when it sank in a hurricane on September 12, 1857. One of them, Pascual Esquerra, was a Chilean-Spanish businessman who listed his hometowns as Valparaiso, Chile, and Zaragoza, Spain. Among the gold ingots and coins was found a hoard of Chilean silver coins: Pesos and half pesos (50 Centavos). It is reasonable to assume that Pascual Esquerra brought these coins as part of his luggage, probably transporting this wealth from Chile to Spain.

Images of both sides of an original 1860 50 Centavos piece from Chile. Photo: Heritage Auction Galleries.

Those coins were discovered among the wreckage of the S.S. Central America 131 years after it descended to the ocean’s floor. It is not known if Esquerra kept bags of silver coins in his First Class cabin, two decks above the hold, or if he had the purser deposit them with the treasure of the commercial shipment, down in the hold. Either scenario is a possibility. NGC has encapsulated Chilean coins from the SS Central America as “Pascual Esquerra Hoard.” However, PCGS has not. Nonetheless, it is possible that this offering from AUCM is from that hoard.