1852 $10 Liberty Head Eagle NGC AU-55 SS Republic

Only 59 coins were recovered from this shipwreck. 

In October 1865, six months after the U.S. Civil War ended, the SS Republic, a side-wheel steamer, sailed from New York to New Orleans with cargo to rebuild the war-torn city. Carrying $400,000 in gold and silver coins, the former blockade ship was vital for New Orleans’ recovery. Tragically, a massive hurricane sank it off Georgia’s coast, sending the treasure 1,700 feet deep into the Atlantic. For nearly 140 years, the ship and its cargo remained lost, a casualty of the storm’s fury.

In 2003, Odyssey Marine Exploration, using advanced electronics and robotics, located the SS Republic wreck. The team recovered over 51,000 gold and silver coins and 14,000 artifacts, remarkably preserved by the deep-sea environment. These numismatic classics, untouched by time, offered a glimpse into 1865 America. The coins’ pristine condition made them exceptionally rare, as most from that era were melted or heavily circulated due to postwar economic turmoil.

During and after the Civil War, rampant inflation from excessive paper currency printing caused widespread hoarding of “hard money,” especially in the devastated South, where paper money was worthless. Postwar fluctuations in gold and silver values further reduced coin availability. The SS Republic’s recovered coins, preserved in a deep-sea time capsule, are a unique treasure, reflecting the era’s scarcity and historical significance. Displayed in museums and accessible via Odyssey’s Virtual Museum, these artifacts illuminate the economic and social conditions of post-Civil War America.