Following the gem proof Kellogg & Co $50 Gold Commemorative Re-strike coin which auctioned last week (July 1), another numismatic rarity from the legendary SS Central America is going under the hammer at Affiliated Auctions' two-day auction this weekend, July 10-11.
 The rescued 1857-S Double Eagle gold coin auctions on Sunday |
The SS Central America operated between Central America and the US's east coast during the 1850s.
The 280-foot steamer was nicknamed "the Ship of Gold" because of its valuable haul of bullion. In September 1857, the boat sank in a Hurricane off the coast of North Carolina.
Four-hundred passengers and crew and 30,000 pounds of gold sank along with it. In fact, so valued was the ship's cargo that its sinking contributed to a sudden downturn in the US's economy - today remembered as the Panic of 1857.
Appearing at Affiliated's Tallahassee, Florida auction, and also being made available to online bidders worldwide, is this 1857-S Double Eagle gold coin.
Unlike the Kellogg & Co $50 re-strike coin that auctioned earlier this month, which was later struck from gold rescued from the SS Central America's wreck, this Double Eagle is one of 2,300 newly-minted coins that were actually aboard the doomed ship as it returned from California.
 An artist's impression of the sinking SS Central America, the 'Ship of Gold' |
Salvaged when the Ship of Gold's wreck was discovered on September 11, 1987, the coin has been graded PCGS MS-65 (or "Gem Uncirculated") and will carry an estimate of $14,000-16,000 when it goes to auction, this coming Sunday.
Affiliated Auctions' sale will begin at 10am, Eastern Daylight Time.
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