1865-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle NGC MS64 Ex.SS Brother Jonathan

      A coin such as this 1865-S double eagle is rarely offered for consideration. 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.

      Doug Winter writes, "A number of the S.S. Brother Jonathan ... coins have very clean surfaces with almost no marks; these must have been pristine when they were loaded on the ship. The luster is frosty...On the shipwreck coins, the quality and appearance of the luster varies. Some have exceptional frosty luster and show little evidence of having been on the ocean floor for over a century. A small number have superb color and are...among the most attractive...gold coins ...struck prior to the end of the Civil War." As you can see from the photos of the specimen offered by AUCM, this is one those with "superb color" that are "among the most attractive" gold double eagles.

      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.