PCGS GRADE MS 61 Coin number SSCA3326, PCGS certification: 5703617. This is the rarer type 20F No Serif, Right S variety. Beautiful orange toning.
PCGS website link: pcgs.com/Cert/5703617/
Provenance: S.S. CENTRAL AMERICA RECOVERYA gorgeous 1857-S $20 Liberty Double Eagle recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck which has been authenticated, encapsulated and graded by PCGS, arguably the world\'s most accurate independent grader, at Mint State 61. Current PCGS price guide values the coin at $5,850, although it sold for $6,350 on in June, 2012. This sale is SPECIAL, in that the original box, slip case, signed COA by Tommy Thompson, (who currently is a fugitive, whereabouts unknown), original receipt, and even the original tissue paper is INCLUDED. This piece has all the bells & whistles as if you bought it when released in 2000. offer like you want it, and you\'ll get it, as there is price.This coin spent 130+ years on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Not only a shipwreck treasure, this is also an ideal type coin for the high-end 19th century gold enthusiast. The 1857-S double eagle is listed in the book 100 Greatest U.S. Coins by Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth. This rare piece of American history will ship to the lucky winning buyer via overnight express mail following payment. Please ask any questions you may have as I will not take returns on certified gold. Feel free to give PCGS a call to verify authenticity. Also, I will add that the coin looks better than the photos depict. I am reluctantly selling this gem to diversify my collection.History:SS Central America, sometimes called the Ship of Gold, was a 280-foot sidewheel steamer that operated between Central America and the eastern coast of the United States during the 1850s. She was originally named the SS George Law, after Mr. George Law of New York. The ship sank in a hurricane in September 1857, along with 400 passengers and crew and 30,000 pounds of gold, contributing to the Panic of 1857.Commander William Lewis Herndon, a distinguished officer who had served during the Mexican-American War and explored the Amazon Valley, was captain of the Central America. Commander Herndon went down with his ship. Two US Navy ships were later named USS Herndon in his honor, as was the town of Herndon, Virginia.When the SS CentralAmerica sank in deepwater off the coast of the Carolina’s during a powerful and catastrophic hurricane on September 12th 1857, some men, women and children were able to miraculously escape by rowboatto theBarc Ellen, a rescue ship. Tragically, the gallant Captain Herndon, and hundreds of other souls went down with the ship. The SSCentral America, is classified as the worst peacetime disaster at sea in American History. However, in time, the vessel and contents was largely forgotten.In 1989, utilizing sophisticated recovery techniques, employing a robotic device and a special chemical preservative compound to envelop the artifacts discovered, the team brought to the surface a vast treasure of numismatic items, including a large quantity of 1857-S Double Eagles in pristine condition, which had been part of theSS Central’s shipment from the San Francisco Mint to the New York Assay Office.Lost for 131 years, the Central America shipwreck is an extraordinary time compendium of coin and other antiquities that can be forever pedigreed. Now here is a “golden” opportunity for the astute collector and investor to take ownership in historic gold Double eagles minted from “Gold Rush” metal and recovered as treasure. Our superb coins are encapsulated and graded by either PCGS or NGC with SS Central America on the certification slip. Ross C. Baldwin President/CEO of National Coin Brokers can highly recommendacquiringone or more of these golden jewels. “These coins are a greatinvestmentfrom one of maritime’sgreatest tragedies. The fact that the shipwreck coins are in virtually pristine condition makes them all the moredesirablefor both the astute collector and investor”. Mr Baldwin feels thatthesecoins offer a great value, “Due to the finding of SS Central America, the 1857-S Double Eagle is actually the most affordable Type I $20 Lib”Amazinglyif it were not for the cache of pristine coins salvaged from the ocean floor we would not have thelimitedavailabilityof the historic coin today.

Designer: James B. Longacre
Weight: 33.436 grams
Diameter: approx. 34mm, reeded edge
Composition: 90% gold, 10% copper/silver

Weight: ±516 grains (±33.4 grams)

Edge: Reeded

Mintmark: \"S\" (for San Francisco) below the eagle\'s tail on the reverse