1857 S $20 Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle SS Central America PCGS MS 63 (w/Box & COA)

1857 S $20 Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle SS Central America PCGS MS 63 (w/Box & COA)

Bullion Exchanges is incredibly excited to offer this 1857 S $20 Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle from the SS Central America! This US Gold Coin contains .9675 tory ounces of .900 fine gold, and was minted in San Francisco in 1857. One of the 7,000 coins recovered from the S.S. Central America Shipwreck, this Gold Liberty Head Double Eagle provides not only an excellent addition to your investment portfolio, but a unique historic artifact as well! Further enhancing its collector appeal, this coin has been authenticated and graded by PCGS as a Mint State 63. Don’t miss your chance, purchase this 1857 S $20 Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle from the SS Central America now!

What Makes This Gold Coin Special?

In the early days of the California Gold Rush, gold had to be transported across the country in ox-drawn wagons, with trips lasting about five months. After 1850, passengers could travel much more quickly from east to west aboard sailing ships or steamers with sufficiently civilized accommodations. On August 20, 1857, in San Francisco, thousands of freshly minted 1857-S Double Eagles, earlier $20 coins, gold ingots, and gold in other forms (totaling about $1.6 million in gold) were loaded onto a steamship called the S.S. Sonora. Several hundred passengers boarded the ship as well. After landing in Panama City, the passengers and the gold were transported by train to another steamer ship - The S.S. Central America - nicknamed the “Ship of Gold”.

Unfortunately, the trip would not end well. A raging hurricane attacked the ship, and despite the best efforts of captain William Herndon and his crew, the vessel began to sink. At the time of the sinking, the amount of gold carried on board was valued at approximately $2,000,000, which would be equivalent to roughly $300,000,000 today.

During the shipwreck’s discovery in 1988, around 7,000 gold coins were recovered from the S.S. Central America. And this 1857 S $20 Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle is one of them!

Coin Specifications:

• Recovered from the 1857 S.S. Central America Shipwreck
• Graded MS 63 by PCGS
• Contains .9675 Troy Ounce of .900 fine gold
• Produced by the San Francisco Branch of the US Mint
• Coin arrives inside an official PCGS holder within a special display box. It is also accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
• Obverse: A design by James B Longacre depicting leftward facing Lady Liberty wearing a pearl-studded Coronet with “LIBERTY” inscribed on it. Lady Liberty is encircled by 13 stars which represent the 13 original colonies of the US. At the bottom is the year of mintage.
• Reverse:  Features a heraldic eagle with a shield on its breast and holding olive branches and arrows in its talons, a design inspired from the Great Seal of United States. Inscriptions: “IN GOD WE TRUST”, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “TWENTY DOLLARS.”

Bullion Exchange provides a wide selection of Pre-1933 Gold Coins, including this 1857 S $20 SS Central America Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle. You may also be interested in our US Commemorative Gold Coins or our limited-mintage Kilo Silver Coins. After your order is placed, your items will be carefully packaged and shipped to your door. Please contact our customer service representatives with any questions.

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