Sunday 8 January 2012

Steamship S.S. Republic, 1865 Coins

A selection of the Coins that would be found on Board the Wreckage coressponding to their time period;

1865 S.S. Republic Shipwreck "Confederate" Silver Coins
For the first time ever, NGC has certified a group of shipwreck coins from the S.S. Republic with the unique pedigree that identifies each coin as have been struck at the New Orleans Mint while under control of the Confederate States of America.

Never before have collectors been able to show off 1861-O Seated Liberty Silver Half Dollars that were both part of the historic 1865 Shipwreck of the S.S. Republic and identified as having been struck by the Confederacy.  Without a doubt, these collectibles minted during the Civil War are unique and available today in strictly limited quantity.
  
1857 S.S. Central America Shipwreck
"The Ship of Gold"

The sinking of the Central America in a hurricane in 1857 in the Atlantic Ocean was one of the worst peacetime tragedies of men, ship, and gold lost at sea.  Over 425 men and many tons of gold were thought to have been lost forever. 

In 1989, the Ship of Gold and her cargo of San Francisco gold coins were discovered and retrieved from the bottom of the ocean.  Now, some 144 years later, you can own an authentic, historic piece of California Gold Rush history.  
1857 S Shipwreck Gold Coin
1865 S.S. Brother Jonathan Shipwreck
In July of 1865 the side wheeler steamship the SS Brother Jonathan sailed from the harbor in San Francisco overloaded with cargo.  On board was a treasure chest of gold mined during the California Gold Rush Days.  A gale kicked up shortly after Brother Jonathan left port and the storm worsened. Around one o’clock in the afternoon, the ill-fated steamer passed Crescent City, California, hitting the Saint George Reef. The impact was so jarring that both passengers and crew were tossed overboard.
1865 S Shipwreck Gold Coins