1857-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle, 20E PCGS MS63PL Ex.SS Central America w/Box & COA

The only way to describe this offering from AUCM is stunning. Simply stunning.

Gold specialist Doug Winter writes of the Prooflike 1857-S examples: "These are some of the most visually arresting coins from the shipwreck .... These are no doubt very scarce and very flashy coins..."  

This coin is housed in the exclusive PCGS Gold Foil label, telling you that this important specimen is from that first, earlier retrieval mission of the SS Central America (SSCA). Of the coins from that first, historic retrieval, there are 9 graded MS63PL with 22 finer in Prooflike.

Commander William Lewis Herndon, who tragically went down with his ship, the S.S. Central America, the wreck of which this specimen was retrieved. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Winter writes of the 1857-S double eagle: "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."