1857-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle, Variety 20A PCGS MS63 Deep Mirror Prooflike (CAC) Ex. SS Central America

The sinking of the S.S. Central America took place during the night of September 11-12, 1857, 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 tragic, yet fascinating, piece of numismatic and American history.

Doug Winter tells us, "A very small number of 1857-S double eagles were designated as either Prooflike (PL) or Deep Mirror Prooflike (DMPL) by PCGS." PCGS only designated 7 of the 1857-S coins from the Central America as being DMPL--and this is one of them. Winter tells us more about 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."