1857-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle, 20A PCGS MS64 (CAC) Ex. SS Central America

Typical of an SS Central America twenty, the coin’s surfaces are completely original and drenched in thick, frosty mint luster. This piece is from the original retrieval mission of the Central America back in 2003. The exclusive PCGS Gold Foil label tells you that this piece is from that first, earlier mission. PCGS has graded 1,106 of the Spiked Shield 20A variety of the 1857-S as MS64, with 785 finer. Collectors Universe gives this issue a price of $12,500.00 in MS64. In CAC, there are 167 in MS64, with 270 finer. CAC prices this at $12,100.00 in MS64.

This haunting image of a young woman was retrieved from the Central America’s wreckage on the ocean’s floor.

This example offered by AUCM was preserved in remarkable condition. That is not surprising, considering that the 1857-S double eagle never had the opportunity to become an instrument of commerce. That is because the S.S. Central America sunk in 1857, the year the piece was struck in San Francisco. Some may wonder how a coin, such as the current offering, could be so well preserved after sitting at the bottom of the ocean for a good 130 years. The vessel landed under 8,000 feet of water: a dark, freezing, and unwelcoming place where there was no current or disturbance whatsoever. Additionally, gold is a stable metal and contact with salt water has little effect. Even more, and most importantly, the vast majority of the coins retrieved from the ship were packed in wooden boxes that were tightly stacked, giving them even more protection from the elements.