1836 $5 Classic Head Half Eagle MS63+ (CAC) Ex.SB Pulaski

The SS Pulaski sank in 1838 off the coast of North Carolina while sailing from Charleston, South Carolina, to Baltimore, Maryland. It is one of the most notable shipwrecks in the early history of the United States.

Recent recovery efforts by Endurance Exploration Group and Blue Water Ventures International have found coins from the US, Spain, Mexico and Great Britain among other artifacts. Foreign coins were legal tender in US at the time the SS Pulaski sank due to the scarcity of US Mint issues.

The SS Pulaski is particularly significant because it is one of the earliest shipwrecks from which US coins have been recovered. The coins initially recovered include well-preserved half dollars and half eagles from the 1830s as well as several earlier issues.

At the time the SS Pulaski sailed, Americans carried both foreign and U.S. coins in their pockets and they made no distinction between the two in daily commerce. This changed in 1857, when foreign coins were no longer considered U.S. legal tender, but the Pulaski treasure offers a fascinating glimpse into how Americans viewed their money during our first 80 years as a country. Another thing that impressed me was the high quality of the U.S. coins recovered from the wreck. Even though the coins were lost at sea over 180 years ago, many of the recovered coins are in astonishingly good condition.

“This may be one of the most significant shipwreck finds of early US silver and gold coins,” says Mark Salzberg, chairman of NCS and NGC. “We are honored to have been selected to examine, conserve and grade coins from this historic shipwreck.”