1860-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle PCGS MS-61 SS Brother Jonathan CAC

Category: $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle
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The 1860-S $20 Double Eagle, struck at the San Francisco Mint during the waning years of the California Gold Rush, is a prized Liberty Head gold coin with a mintage of 544,950. Minted in 90% gold, it features James B. Longacre’s iconic design: Liberty with a coronet on the obverse and a heraldic eagle on the reverse, marked with the “S” mint mark. Common in circulated grades (VF20–XF45, ~$2,500–$4,500), it becomes scarce in About Uncirculated (AU50–AU58, $4,500–$10,000) and rare in Mint State (MS60+, $15,000–$100,000+), with fewer than 100 known in uncirculated condition per PCGS. Its historical significance—minted just before the Civil War—makes it a favorite among collectors of Gold Rush-era coinage.


The SS Brother Jonathan shipwreck, sunk on July 30, 1865, off Crescent City, California, carried a fortune in San Francisco Mint gold, primarily 1865-S Double Eagles, with smaller numbers of earlier dates like 1863-S and 1864-S. While 1860-S coins are not prominently documented in the wreck’s salvage, 18 examples were offered in the Bowers & Merena public auction in 1999 (inventory numbers 88 through 105). Of these, 16 were PCGS-certified with an average grade of Choice XF (XF44), and two were graded as Shipwreck Effect, reflecting their underwater ordeal. Recovered in 1996 from 250 feet below the Pacific, these coins, part of a ~$5 million auction, are exceptionally rare with shipwreck provenance, commanding significant premiums for their numismatic value and connection to a tragedy that claimed 219 lives.

The present MS61 is the Finest Graded of all of the 1860-S Brother Jonathan gold Double Eagles and is Very Rare in this grade even witnhout the shipwreck provenance. CAC has endorsed this coin with a green sticker as well.

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