1154

1857-S $2.50 Gold, MS61, & A Pinch, S.S. Central America Treasure [166262]

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:3,000.00 USD Estimated At:6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD
1857-S $2.50 Gold, MS61,  & A Pinch, S.S. Central America Treasure [166262]
SOLD
4,900.00USD+ (980.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2023 Apr 29 @ 13:09UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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PCGS MS 61, gold shield holder. PCGS Population 15; Pop Higher: 10. Included is One Pinch of California Gold Dust certified by Bob Evans, chief scientist of the recovery team. Scarce as a date (mintage 69,200) and extremely rare uncirculated. A number of these 1857-S quarter eagle gold coins were found in the passenger gold of the various coin piles in the debris field. There are several important things about the 1857-S quarter eagles found on the SS Central America. First, these coins were, for the most part, not part of the monetary shipments held within the treasure boxes. Those boxes held gold ingots and brand new, mint state 1857-S $20 double eagle gold coins. One or two of the boxes also carried private gold issues, as well as $50 octagonal gold coins clearly removed from circulation by banks at the time. These quarter eagles, as we have written in other descriptions in this catalog, were the "work horse" coins of the Gold Rush. They were equivalent to$100 today- the same buying power as that $100 bill in your wallet. And- unlike the 1857-s $20s that were stacked in the treasure boxes, there were no treasure boxes full of $2.50 gold coins. They were all carried as passenger gold and were also part of the ship's money found in the safe. The mint state nature of the coins is very simple- passengers departing on the SS Sonora for New York or other parts unknown, "cashed in" their placer gold or gold ingots at the San Francisco Branch Mint before departure. Thus many of the $2.50 1857-S gold coins are found in dead-mint state because the passengers has just received them prior to boarding. Dan Owens wrote a fine piece on this very aspect about a decade ago.


Date: 1857
Country (if not USA):
State: California
City: San Francisco