1857-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle 20E, PCGS MS61 Ex. SS Central America

Encased in the PCGS "Gold Foil Label" holder, this piece is the "20E Broken A" variety. The night of September 11-12, 1857, saw the sinking of the S.S. Central America, when 425 of her 578 passengers and crew perished at sea in a category 2 hurricane with 105 MPH winds. Plus the sinking of 30,000 pounds (14,000 kg) of gold coins on board was a major contributing factor to the economic Panic of 1857. Therefore this 1857-S double eagle is a fascinating piece of numismatic history.

Doug Winter writes of the 1857-S: "This is a well-struck issue. The hair detail on the obverse is sharp with many of the curls and the strands at the top of Liberty’s head showing individual definition. The stars usually have full radial lines and the denticles are sharp and clear. On the reverse, there is usually some minor weakness on the tips of the wings, but the overall detail is excellent with detail not seen on most Type One issues from the San Francisco mint. The coins from the S.S. Central America are generally well-struck and show better overall detail than the coins which are not from this hoard."