Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 126

February 14-15 Coin Auction

S.S. Central America Treasure

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 616		1854-O. Arrows, huge O. PCGS graded AU-55. CAC. PQ. Mostly untoned and well struck. It appears that a reverse die with no mintmark arrived at the New Orleans Mint in 1854, the coiner noticed the error and took his engraving tools and added an O to the reverse in the proper place. Its came out a bit oblong and lopsided, but he got the job done. This created on of the most sought after coins of the series, which has always remained rare and hard to find at all, especially so in top grades like this offering. Somehow, this lovely example ended up on the S. S. Central America where it was recovered many generations later and is one of the finest seen today. Pop 2; only 2 graded finer in 58 for the Huge O variety, as no Mint State example is known. Estimated Value $10,000 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find; Ex Goldberg Sale 117 Lot 1270 (September 2020), realized $11,400. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $13,500
Lot 617		1855-S. Broken A, Full E. PCGS graded AU-53. CAC. PQ. A nice frosty example that shows just a touch of light wear on the high points of the design and ample luster to please the eye. An earlier date then usually encountered from this famous 1857 shipwreck. Pop 2; 20 finer at PCGS for the variety. Estimated Value $2,500 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS Holder with a pinch of gold dust from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $5,160
Lot 618		1856-S. No Serif. Full A. PCGS graded MS-62. CAC. PQ. Reflective fields on both sides. These amazing double eagles recovered from the S. S. Central America shipwreck sometimes show mirror like fields as seen here, not all qualify for the desired "Prooflike" designation, but this one certainly comes close. A handsome example of this scarcer date from this famous shipwreck. A coin with great visual appeal and pleasing surfaces. Pop 5; 1 in 63, 1 in 64+. Sure looks MS-63 Prooflike. Estimated Value $8,000 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $10,800
Lot 619		1856-S. No Serif, Left S. PCGS graded MS-60. A nice frosty example with some reverse discoloration that looks to have been partially removed. Remember that coins recovered from the shipwreck at 8,000 feet or so below the surface were not all packed together, but many were scattered on the ocean bottom along with a variety of debris from the shipwreck itself. Perhaps something from the ship rested against this coin for many years to create the unusual color on part of the reverse. What is important is the obverse and reverse are much nicer in quality than the grade would imply. Pop 1; only 4 examples graded higher at PCGS for the variety, 3 in 62, 1 in 64. Estimated Value $5,000 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS Holder with a pinch of gold dust from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $6,120
Lot 620		1857-S. Spiked Shield. PCGS graded MS-65. CAC. PQ. Well struck and fully white. Looks like a MS-66. A glorious example of this double eagle, in outstanding condition and with fantastic eye appeal. The strike is sharp throughout, and the surfaces are amazing to behold with nary a nick or scuff to be found. This one is housed in a larger than normal PCGS holder to encompass a pinch of gold dust that was also recovered from the S. S. Central America shipwreck. A visual treat for the numismatist who appreciates quality and eye appeal. Estimated Value $12,000 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $13,800
Lot 621		1857-S. B2-1, Spiked Shield. NGC graded MS-65 Prooflike. A blazing untoned gem. Specially struck that is fully prooflike. An amazing example which we feel is a special striking. Full mirror field on the strips of the shield below the Eagle's head. Probably the first strike at the San Francisco mint in 1857. The eye appeal is absolutely stunning here, with bold mirror reflectivity and a full and sharp strike. The surface are incredible too, with nary a nick or bagmark to be found, this is all the more incredible on these delicate mirror surfaces. Precious few of the S. S. Central America double eagles show any degree of prooflike reflectivity and most are satiny and lustrous. Only the first few coins struck from fresh polished dies show this degree of mirror fields and contrast. Early on when the first and largest group of 1857-S double eagles were recovered from this shipwreck, PCGS was not designating any of these as Prooflike as there were so few that qualified for this designation that they were just considered early strikes of mint state coins. Later as more and more of these prooflike coins were submitted for grading of later dates and not from any shipwrecks, a separate designation was included for the coins that qualified with enough depth to the reflectivity for the prooflike designation, similar to that on Morgan silver dollars. This sparkling jewel is one such coin with the incredible mirror surfaces in the fields and gem quality too. As time has evolved PCGS has added the Prooflike designation to these early double eagles, if they qualify, but thus far none have graded finer than MS-64+ Prooflike at that grading service. This this is one of the finer examples to be recovered and one of the precious few to show this degree of mirror depth and reflectivity. A stunning coin in hand! Pop 2; 5 finer, 4 in 66+, 1 in 67. Estimated Value $50,000 - UP Ex S.S. Central America with special NGC label. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 622		1857-S. Bold S. PCGS graded MS-62+. A nice fully untoned example with radiant mint luster and excellent surfaces for the grade assigned. Well struck. Housed in the special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold dust from the shipwreck. The Bold S variety is scarcer than some of the others found in greater abundance from the shipwreck. Pop 3; 65 finer at PCGS for the variety. Estimated Value $5,000 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS Holder with a pinch of gold dust from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $6,600
Lot 623		1857-S, Broken A. PCGS graded AU-50. CAC. A lovely coin and undergraded. This one is housed in the custom PCGS holder with a pinch of gold dust from S. S. Central America shipwreck. Sure looks AU-58 to us with strong luster and just a hint of wear on the uppermost devices. Estimated Value $3,000 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS Holder with a pinch of gold dust from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $4,440
Lot 624		1855/4 Quarter Dollar Octagonal. Breen and Gillio-106. Rarity 3. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated, Damage. Holed. This coin is in fairly nice condition but has been holed, perhaps for suspension by sailor who happened to be on the S. S. Central America ship. Once the ship went down in 1857 these artifacts were presumed lost to eternity, until the 1990s when the technology developed that allowed for deep autonomous shipwreck recovery from incredible depths of a mile and a half deep. Not only were single coins brought up from these depths, but huge gold bars weighing many pounds. Later in 2014 the Purser's Safe was recovered from nearby the shipwreck and brought to the ocean surface, and within it were these desirable and historic California Pioneer Fractional Gold coins that circulated in the San Francisco area during the early years of the Gold Rush. Not many were found, but confirm that these historic coins were indeed in change at the time in 1857 as the Gold Rush activity reached its zenith. Estimated Value $300 - UP View details and enlarged photos	Realized $600
Lot 625		1856 Quarter Dollar Octagonal. Breen and Gillio-107. Low Rarity 4. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated, Enviromental Damage. A handsome example of one of these rare early California Pioneer Fractional Gold pieces that was recovered from the S. S. Central America shipwreck. Although the surfaces show some minor environmental damage, the all important diagnostics are clear to identify this coin. Housed in the special holder with a pinch of gold dust also recovered from this shipwreck. This coin was struck and in circulation the year prior to the departure of the various folks who left San Francisco on that voyage on their way to the East Coast. Estimated Value $300 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $480
Lot 626		n.d. (1853) Quarter Dollar Round. Breen and Gillio-206. High Rarity 4. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated, Holed. An important discovery within the purser's safe of the S. S. Central America shipwreck as these small, fractional gold coins were used as small change during the heyday of the California Gold Rush in the early to mid 1850s. This die pairing was reasonably available, in fact an example of the BG-206 was also recovered on the S. S. Winifred Scott which sunk on December 1, 1853. Talk about the ultimate shipwreck pairing! Anyway, this one is from the Central America which sunk in September of 1857. One surmises that this particular coin was holed for later suspension by a sailor traveling home to the East. Estimated Value $300 - UP View details and enlarged photos	Realized $630
Lot 627		1854 Quarter Dollar Round. Breen and Gillio-216. Rarity 6. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated. This coin was struck with reground dies and hence the detail is muted particularly on the wreath. The die pairing is clearly visible and this one was struck in 1854 for general circulation in and around the San Francisco area. Someone carried it along on the ship to Panama, and it ended up on the northbound ship which was of course, the S. S. Central America which unfortunately sunk in September 1857 during a hurricane well offshore of North Carolina. This coin was recovered from the Purser's Safe, which was brought to the surface of the ocean in 2014. Precious few California Pioneer Fractional Gold coins were found from this wreck. Estimated Value $300 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $510
Lot 628		1854 Quarter Dollar Round. Breen and Gillio-216. Rarity 6. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated, Environmental Damage. Here is another rare die pairing that was recovered from the wreck of the S. S. Central America, this coin was recovered from the Purser's Safe, which was finally brought to the surface of the ocean in 2014. The surfaces are still attractive and show some minor roughness from long exposure to sea water. This coin is now housed in a custom holder with a pinch of gold dust that was also recovered from the shipwreck from 1857. A rare coin too, with perhaps 30 examples known in all, this one long hidden from the numismatic community until just recently when it was recovered. Estimated Value $300 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $630
Lot 629		1854 Quarter Dollar Round. Breen and Gillio-216. Rarity 6. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated, Enviromental Damage. An historic coin recovered from the S. S. Central America shipwreck that was tucked away inside the Purser's Safe, used to hold sailors valuables and pay them upon arrival in port. Housed in a splendid large PCGS holder which includes a pinch of gold from shipwreck as well. The environmental damage was likely caused by the amount of copper alloy used to coin these early fractional gold coins and its long exposure to seawater. Estimated Value $300 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $504
Lot 630		1854 Quarter Dollar Round. Breen and Gillio-216. Rarity 6. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated, Enviromental Damage. This is one of a tiny group of California Pioneer Fractional Gold coins recovered from the S. S. Central America shipwreck. All of these Fractional Gold coins show environmental damage due to the copper alloy used in the gold planchets, the copper was used to strengthen these tiny coins and make them more durable in circulation. Housed in a custom PCGS holder with a pinch of gold dust which was also recovered from this historic shipwreck. Estimated Value $300 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $570
Lot 631		1854 Half Dollar Octagonal. Breen and Gillio-306. Rarity 4. PCGS graded Details of About Uncirculated, Environmental Damage. Here is another rare example of this popular issue that was just recovered (2014) from the S. S. Central America shipwreck. This particular issue was roughly 18K gold on the surface, with a core of roughly 14K gold. Thus, enough copper was present to allow for the environmental damage to occur from generations under the ocean. Mounted in a lovely PCGS holder with a pinch of gold dust that was also recovered from this shipwreck. Estimated Value $300 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $576
Lot 632		1856 Half Dollar Octagonal. Breen and Gillio-307, High Rarity 5. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated, Environmental Damage. This is the first offering of an California Fractional Gold coins that were recovered from the S. S. Central America shipwreck. The obverse design is that of a head of Liberty facing left, with thirteen star surrounding on the octagonal planchet. The reverse is the classic design which states CALIFORNIA GOLD surrounding, with a beaded circle below, within the circle is 1/2 DOLLAR / 1856 / with a star below. Finding this coin on a shipwreck from 1857 fits perfectly in that these smaller coins were in great demand to make change during the California Gold Rush, as silver coins were still in short supply for common, lower value transactions. Hence these California Fractional Gold coins were made in an around the San Francisco area to ease the silver coin deficit in California and to facilitate making change for transactions with 25C, 50C and $1.00 gold coins. Estimated Value $300 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $720
Lot 633		1856 Half Dollar Octagonal. Breen and Gillio-307. High Rarity 5. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated, Environmental Damage. Although carefully placed in the Purser's Safe this coin still shows minor environmental damage from being locked away in a safe that ended up on the bottom of the ocean for 157 years. Sadly safes from this period of time were not generally designed to be water tight, and hence some environmental damage has taken place. Clearly identifiable and quite historic with the lovely presentation holder that includes a pinch of gold dust also recovered from this 1857 shipwreck. Estimated Value $300 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $900
Lot 634		1856 Half Dollar Octagonal. Breen and Gillio-307. High Rarity 5. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated, Enviromental Damage. A desirable example of this scarce die pairing that shows some reflectivity in the fields. Well struck and historically important as the famed shipwreck went down in September of 1857, so these coins would likely have come along from the original San Francisco voyage, made the transfer in Panama to the S. S. Central America on the east side to continue the journey to the United States. The transfer was accomplished over the isthmus. Not many of these historic California Fractional gold coins were found on this shipwreck. An impressive presentation. Estimated Value $300 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $930
Lot 635		1856 Half Dollar Octagonal. Breen and Gillio-307. High Rarity 5. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated, Enviromental Damage. The use of copper in the planchets along with gold was the culprit which caused the environmental damage here to the surfaces while sitting at the bottom of the ocean for over 150 years. These were recovered in the Purser's Safe in 2014 that was finally located and brought to the surface and opened. Not many California Pioneer Fractional Gold coins were found on this shipwreck. Mounted in a custom PCGS holder with a pinch of gold dust also from the shipwreck. An historical relic. Estimated Value $300 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,140
Lot 636		1853 Half Dollar Round. Breen and Gillio-430. Rarity 3. PCGS graded Details of Uncirculated, Scratch. Untoned with scratches on the obverse. Perhaps these scratches were from the sinking event where the Purser's Safe went to the bottom of the sea well below the surface, nearly 2 miles! Housed in a pleasing custom PCGS holder which includes a pinch of gold dust which was also recovered from the shipwreck. Estimated Value $300 - UP Ex S.S. Central America, in a special PCGS holder with a pinch of gold from the find. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,380
Lot 637		Kellogg & Humbert Assayers, Mold KH-03, 64.08 Oz. at 837 Fine, value in 1857 $1108.73, Bar #464. Listed in A California Gold Rush History in the original recovery items on page 1008. This bar was recovered with the initial gold found in 1988 from the shipwreck. This historic gold bar, measuring 99 mm height, 45 mm wide, 29 mm thick, is from the famous treasure recovered from the 1857 shipwreck of the S.S. Central America. The total number of ingots recovered from Kellogg & Humbert is 343 of which 69 were melted for production of the $50 Kellogg Commemorative Restrikes. This ingot is from Mold KH-03 and is plated on page 431 of Q. David Bowers' A California Gold Rush History featuring the treasure from the S.S. Central America. A formidable gold bar, the approximate value of 55 double eagles at the time it was cast and valued by the famed assayers Kellogg & Humbert. As seen on all such gold bars, the top inscription is that of the bar number, unique to each gold bar, in this case No. 464, below is the Assayers name framed within a simple rectangular box Kellogg / & / Humbert / Assayers. It is notable that no location is given, as these bars and their names were well enough known to be valued correctly by anyone likely to see these bars. Below their name in the same large numerical font as the bar number, is the weight, 64.08 oz, below that is .837 Fine. At the bottom of the facing portion of the bar is the value, $1108.73. As always, the lower right corner of the face of the bar is cut off and that portion was used (prior to valuation) to determine the fineness and thus the value of the bar itself. On the back of the bar the serial number is stamped again, but using a different font. The usual cooling depression is seen on the back of the bar, pulled from mold KH-03 as seen on several other bars from this shipwreck. Much of this golden cargo was likely expected in a few days after the sinking of the ship to land in New York Harbor, where the gold could be transported anywhere it was needed. Much of the gold in these bars would probably have ended up in Philadelphia where it could be refined and coined into various gold coins that were needed for international as well as local trade. Instead, the hurricane of September, 1857 had other ideas, swamping the S.S. Central America and sending her and much of her gold to the bottom of the sea. Tragically hundreds of lives were lost in the storm as well. The finding of this shipwreck and subsequent recovery of so much of the gold and various artifacts is one of the greatest discoveries of our lifetimes, and to be able to purchase such a significant portion of this treasure would truly be the dream of many collectors. So if you have longed for a historic and timeless golden artifact from the Central America, then look no further than this lot! Estimated Value $125,000 - UP View details and enlarged photos	Realized $174,000
Lot 638		Five Ounces of 1857 Original Mined California Gold Dust Recovered from S.S. Central America. Slabbed by PCGS as #15 of 88. Special PCGS Number 671486.80/37127538. 880+/- Fine, $90.96 face value. The California Gold Rush Ore were valued at $20.67 per ounce in 1857, and to be melted into gold bars for striking gold coins. The purser's safe was found some years after the original recoveries from the wreck, due to its weight it likely separated from the sinking ship long before the sinking ship landed on the sea floor. When opened this safe was found to contain a large number of coins and some gold dust, from which these five ounces were recovered. Of considerable historic significance and a rare opportunity to buy some of the gold dust carried on the S. S. Central America. The special PCGS tag is signed by Q. David Bowers and Bob Evans. This holder is 21.7mm x 14.2mm. Estimated Value $15,000 - UP If this had been redeemed at Blake & Co., it would be worth over $125,000! Ex S.S. Central America, 2014 Recovery from Purser's Safe. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold