1853 $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle PCGS XF45 Ex.SS Central America
SOLD
SKU
SSCA6703
There were only 28 examples of the 1853 $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 21 of these 28 coins recovered. Now that we know the populations of the second recovery effort (released in 2018), 14 more coins (designated as with a "pinch") can be added to that total. This is an extremely small number of coins to go around to any and all shipwreck collectors.
The present example has the original gold foil insert and is labeled as #6703. We can only account for 2 of the 21 certified coins having appeared at public auction in the 20 years since they've been released and these two occurred in 2000 (an AU58 catalogued by Christies as the "finest graded") and another in 2009 (#6701 as AU50. This AU50 coin is easily distinguished by an enormous black shaded are on the obverse and some spotting on the reverse).
The present specimen displays a bright yellow gold and features retained luster in the protected regions. In our opinion, this coin is conservatively graded and is certified as Choice Extremely Fine (XF45).
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 # | 8908 |
|---|---|
| Grading Service | PCGS |
| Year of Issue | 1853 |
| Grade | XF45 |
| Denom Type | Liberty Head $20 |
| Numeric Denomination | $20 |
| Mint Location | Philadelphia |
| Designation | NONE |
| Circ/UnCirc | Circulated |
| Strike Type | Business |
| Holder Variety | SS Central America first release gold foil |
| Grade Add On | NONE |
| Holder Type | SS Central America |
