1857-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle, 20A PCGS MS64 Ex.SS Central America w/box & COA

Here is a true beauty to include in your numismatic holdings. A stunning coin such as this will give you many years of endless pleasure. Just imagine owning it, calling it your own. It is housed in the exclusive PCGS Gold Foil Label holder for coins from the SS Central America. PCGS has graded 647 examples as MS64 with 138 finer. Collectors Universe gives this variety (the 20A “Spiked Shield”) a price of $12,500.00 in MS64.

Haunting image of a young woman retrieved from the SS Central America. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The example offered by AUCM was preserved in extraordinary condition. That is not surprising, considering that the 1857-S double eagle did not have the opportunity to circulate in commerce. That is because the S.S. Central America sunk in 1857, the year this issue was produced at the San Francisco Mint.

Some may wonder how a coin, such as the current offering, could be so well preserved after sitting at the bottom of the ocean for a good 130 years. The vessel landed under 8,000 feet of water: a dark, freezing, and unwelcoming place where there was no current or disturbance whatsoever. Additionally, gold is a stable metal and contact with salt water has little effect. Even more, and most importantly, the vast majority of the coins retrieved from the ship were packed in wooden crates that were tightly stacked, giving them even more protection from the elements.