1865-S $20 MS(PCGS#8944)
1865-S $20 MS (PCGS#8944)
August 2023 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins
- 拍卖行
- Stack's Bowers
- 批号
- 5184
- 等级
- MS64
- 价格
- 157,285
- 详细说明
- Outstanding S.S. Brother Jonathan1865-S Double Eagle 1865-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-64 (PCGS). S.S. Brother Jonathan Label. This is a handsome double eagle that would do equally well in a high grade type set or dedicated double eagle collection. Mottled pinkish-rose patina drifts over a base of lighter rose-gold color. Boldly to sharply struck throughout with a smooth, satiny texture that is sure to please. The economic hardships encountered immediately after the Civil War did not affect the Western states nearly as much as back East and coin production at the San Francisco Mint continued without much disruption. Just over one million double eagles were struck and entered regular commercial channels. On July 28, 1865, the California Steam Navigation Company's vessel, the S.S. Brother Jonathanset sail from its home port of San Francisco for Portland, Oregon with what is believed to have been $500,000 in gold coins. Two days later, on July 30, the ship encountered rough seas, compelling it to head for the port of Crescent City, California to wait for calmer conditions. While on the approach into the harbor, the Brother Jonathanstruck an uncharted submerged rock, shattering portions of the hull. The vessel immediately flooded and sank rapidly, allowing only 21 people to escape. The rest of the estimated 300 passengers and crew, including the ship's captain S.J. DeWolf, perished. For more than a century the wreck defied numerous attempts at salvaging the suspected treasure, until the 1990s when Deep Sea Research, Inc. was able to finally pinpoint the Brother Jonathan. Over a series to explorations, over 1,200 coins were ultimately retrieved, almost all of which were freshly struck 1865-S double eagles. Until these coins reached market, most collectors had to content themselves with a moderately circulated 1865-S $20. Since then, these treasure coins have provided a wealth of exceptional examples to the numismatic community. The offered coin is sure to please its next custodian. Provenance: Ex S.S. Brother Jonathan. PCGS# 8944. NGC ID: 269V. Click here for certification details from PCGS.