The following is a press release from Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) announcing that one of its recently graded Double Eagle gold coins from the SS Central America is available at auction. The coin, an 1857-S Double Eagle was graded by the company at MS-66+ PL (Proof Like). The auction, which ends on March 13th, already has bidding up to an eye watering $82,000 at the time of this writing.
Recovered from the famous shipwreck of the SS Central America, a well-preserved 1857-S Double Eagle, certified by Numismatic Guaranty Company™ (NGC®), is one of the top coins in March being offered by GreatCollections. Online bidding is underway, with the sale ending March 13, 2022.
Graded NGC MS 66+ PL, bidding for this Double Eagle had already surpassed $80,000 more than a week before the sale. It is one of the highest-graded examples from a group of 123 coins that were found in a box in the SS Central America wreckage and later certified by NGC. It is one of 10 examples from that group to earn NGC’s PL Designation for exhibiting Prooflike surfaces.
Over 160 years ago, the SS Central America was sailing toward New York to help alleviate the first economic crisis by delivering freshly minted coins and gold from California. The ship sank when it encountered a ferocious hurricane off the coast of the Carolinas. The precious cargo rested on the seafloor, lost for much of the history of the United States.
In the 1980s, the wreckage was found. Among the treasures recovered was the box of 123 gold coins. To find out more about the history of the shipwreck and a behind-the-scenes look at the coins’ journey to NGC, click here. To view a gallery of the group of 123 NGC-certified coins recovered from the SS Central America, click here.