1857-S $20 Spiked Shield MS65 PCGS....

Description

Gem 1857-S Double Eagle
From S.S. Central America

1857-S $20 Spiked Shield MS65 PCGS. Ex: S.S. Central America. Variety 20A. SSCA 1092. Although it is difficult to appreciate today from the long lens of more than a century and a half of naval history, a steamship voyage on a vessel such as the S.S. George Law--renamed the S.S. Central America shortly before its last fateful journey--was roughly the parallel of a trip today into low Earth orbit. Few people ever took even one steamship voyage; far fewer still took more than one. Nonetheless, the slow, steady replacement of sailing vessels by steamships accounted for an eightfold increase in the number of emigrants to America between 1840 and 1910.
This Gem example boasts the usual delightful mint luster of the 1857-S double eagles recovered from the S.S. Central America. The surfaces are bright yellow-gold, with a slight, even reddish cast over each side. The strike is full, and the only singular flaws are a couple of shallow field marks, one to the left of the nose, the other to the left of hair. Housed in an oversized brown leather or leatherette case.
From The Larry V. Cunningham Collection.(Registry values: P2)

Coin Index Numbers: (Variety PCGS# 70000, Base PCGS# 8922, GSID# 9892)

Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper
Weight: 33.44 grams
AGW: 0.9675oz

Note for clients in the European Union: This lot is considered by the European Union to be “investment gold”. We believe that it meets the criteria established in Article 344(1), point (2) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC and thus should be exempt from import VAT regardless of the selling price. Any questions or concerns about VAT should be addressed to your accountant or local tax authority.

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