1857-S $20 Liberty Gold Coins
from the S.S. Central America
hree
years after the opening of the San Francisco mint, a huge cargo
of freshly minted coins, gold bars, and private-issue coins
were loaded on a side-wheel steamship for a land-sea journey to
New York. The passengers originally boarded the Sonora as it headed
out for Panama on August 20th, 1857. After traversing the isthmus
by train, over 500 passengers and the gold were loaded on the
United States Mail Steamship Central America.
The
passengers and crew set sail for New York on September 3rd and
encountered a monstrous hurricane shortly thereafter. The ill-fated
ship and its cargo sunk to the bottom of the ocean floor somewhere
off the Carolinas after struggling to stay afloat for three days.
Only a quarter of the persons aboard survived and the many tons
of gold were believed lost forever. The disaster still stands
as the worst shipwreck in United States peacetime history. Along
with the failures of several institutions, it led to the “panic
of 1857”. Some historians believe that this crisis was the
financial trigger for the Civil War less than four years later.
Not until massive human and financial effort was undertaken 131
years later that the wreckage was pinpointed 8000 feet below the
surface. After years of legal wrangling, the Columbus-America
group actually recovered the treasure, finding most of the coins
to be as bright and lustrous as the day they were minted…in
1857! All the gold wound up in collections, museums, and investment
portfolios. The only reason this relatively small group of coins
is available is that one of the original investors in the recovery
chose to liquidate his holdings for personal reasons.
If
coins could only talk, what a story the $20 Liberties of the SS
Central America could tell. From the gold hills of mid-Nineteenth
Century California to the San Francisco Mint, through Panama,
down to the bottom of the Atlantic, back to the surface, and now
to you. This may be your best opportunity to hold a significant
piece of American history in your hand.
Special Limited Offer
We currently have a limited number of stunning presentation displays.
When you receive your coin and open the box, you will find a beautiful
hard-bound book that conjures up images of a first edition Moby
Dick or Treasure Island. The first several pages tell
the story of this fateful vessel before you open to find the coin
itself in a fashionable display stand. This stand makes a great
addition to your desk, nightstand, or mantle, allowing everyone
who views it the opportunity to gaze directly into the sands of
time.
Joe Battaglia recently interviewed the S.S. Central America
recovery effort's Director of Science and History, Bob Evans on
The American Advisor.
Click
here to listen to Part I
Click
here to listen to Part II
To learn more about this historic collection, call 1-800-827-4653.
or fill in your name and number to have a Goldline Account Executive
contact you…hopefully before these coins disappear again.
© 2006 Goldline International, Inc.
