1858-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle NGC AU58 Ex. Granite Lady Hoard

The 'Granite Lady' is the nickname given to the San Francisco Mint, one of the only structures to survive unscathed during the horrific 3-day earthquake and fire that devastated the City by the Bay on April 18, 1906. Struck by a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake, fires burned out of control for three days and destroyed much of the city. Some accounts tell us that around 300,000 souls were left homeless. Standing virtually alone in the smoldering city after those three terrifying days was the San Francisco Mint, which has affectionately become known as the "Old Granite Lady."

This coin was among a small hoard that was found in the vaults of the Granite Lady after the earthquake, and is designated as such by the orange 'Granite Lady Hoard' NGC label. NGC has graded 176 coins as AU58, with 30 finer.

The city of San Francisco in flames and the "Old Granite Lady" that survived intact.

Gold specialist Doug Winter gives us the lowdown on this issue: "The 1858-S shows an above-average quality strike in comparison to other San Francisco double eagles of this era....The luster is frosty in texture with a pronounced granularity. Some are more satiny in appearance and these are regarded as being more desirable by specialists in the series....The natural coloration is an attractive rich rose-gold or orange-gold hue. There are still a decent number of 1858-S double eagles with natural color that the patient collector should be able to acquire one without a great effort."