1861-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle, PCGS XF45, Ex. SS Brother Jonathan

This example of the 1861-S Double Eagle is one of only 43 that were found among the ruins of the SS Brother Jonathan. It was on July 30, 1865, a few months after the end of the Civil War, when the ship Brother Jonathan crashed against a large rock and sank off the coast of Crescent City, California. We remember the coins, but many souls were lost that day--219 to be exact. A fortune of material goods sunk to the ocean's floor that day, including $300,000 to $500,000 in cargo, 346 barrels of whiskey, $200,000 in payroll for troops at Fort Vancouver, and over $100,000 in cash and jewelry in the purser's safe.

The obverse of the $20 Double Eagle features a left-facing Liberty design influenced by Greco-Roman sculpture. A pearl-encrusted coronet inscribed with “Liberty” adorns her wavy hair, which flows down her neck. Thirteen stars that represent the original colonies/states surround her bust. The date is found below the image of Liberty. The reverse presents Longacre's exaggerated design, featuring a heraldic eagle, one that is quite different from eagles previously found upon our coinage. Dramatic rays emanate from the national bird, and a circle of 13 stars is found hovering over the eagle. Two contrived ribbons encircle the awkward creature, one of which the eagle holds firmly in its beak. The motto E PLURIBUS UNUM is split between the two ribbons. A federal shield is found on its breast and arrows and the ivy branch of peace are found, respectively, in its right and left talons. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and TWENTY D. surround the bird at the coin's rim.