1857-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle, 20B PCGS AU55 Ex.SS Central America w/Box & COA

Here’s a more affordable example of the popular 1857-S twenty dollar gold piece in its assigned grade of AU55. Double eagles such as this one are eagerly sought, not only by double eagle specialists, but also by enthusiasts of Gold Rush history and shipwreck lore. The exclusive PCGS Gold Foil holder tells you that this piece is from the original retrieval of the tragic wreck of the SS Central America (SSCA). This is the 20B Bold S variety.

From the original retrieval, PCGS has graded 56 as AU55 with 1,033 finer. Doug Winter writes of the 1857-S double eagle: "This is a well-struck issue….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."

A daguerreotype of a young woman found among the wreckage of the SS Central America. She has been dubbed the ‘Mona Lisa of the Depths.’ Photo: Wikimedia Commons.