1854 $20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle Shipwreck SS Central America Large Date PCGS MS60

1854 $20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle Shipwreck SS Central America Large Date PCGS MS60

PCGS MS60 | Recovered from SS Central America shipwreck | Population: 1 | None graded higher

• Year: 1854
• Weight: 33.44 grams (1.075 troy oz actual gold weight)
• Purity: .900 fine gold
• Type: Pre-33 U.S. Gold
• Mint: Philadelphia
• Face Value: $20
• Grade: PCGS MS60
• Population: 1
• Population Higher: 0
• Variety: Large Date (noted on holder)
• Shipwreck Origin: SS Central America
• Special Feature: Includes authentic pinch of California Gold Rush gold
• Strike Type: Business Strike
• Designation: Shipwreck Certification

This 1854 $20 Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle, graded MS60 by PCGS, is a numismatic treasure of the highest order—the only example certified at this grade with none graded higher—and one of the few pre-1857 dates recovered from the most iconic shipwreck in American coin history: the SS Central America, famously known as the “Ship of Gold.”

On a stormy night, October 3, 1857, the SS Central America—a 280-foot, three-masted, wooden-hulled, sidewheel steamship—was en route from Havana to New York, carrying over 400 passengers and crew and a cargo of more than three tons of freshly minted gold from the California Gold Rush. Caught in a Category 2 hurricane off the coast of the Carolinas, the ship was relentlessly battered. As seawater breached the hull and rose inside, crew and passengers desperately tried to bail it out through the night. Despite their efforts, nature prevailed, and the vessel was claimed by the Atlantic.

The ship’s cargo included thousands of $20 Liberty “Coronet Head” Double Eagles, valued at $2 million at the time—roughly $300 million today. 425 lives were lost. The economic aftermath was just as severe: the gold on board was destined for New York banks, and its loss triggered a chain reaction of failures, contributing directly to the Panic of 1857. This financial collapse deepened economic divides between North and South, pushing the country even closer to the Civil War.

Long known as “America’s Lost Treasure,” the SS Central America remained hidden beneath the sea for over 130 years until its discovery in the late 1980s by Tommy Thompson and the Columbus-America Discovery Group of Ohio. Located 160 miles off the coast at a depth of 7,200 to 8,500 feet, the wreck yielded an astonishing cache of gold coins and ingots. After a decade-long legal battle with 39 insurance companies, 92% of the recovered treasure was awarded to the exploration team. Among the recovered items was the legendary 80-pound “Eureka” gold bar, later sold to a private collector for $8 million.

The bulk of the coins recovered were 1856-S and 1857-S Double Eagles, but a scarce handful of earlier issues—including this stunning 1854 Large Date—were also found. Such early-date specimens are rarely seen, especially in higher Mint State grades like this one.

What makes this coin exceptional isn’t just its survival but its superior preservation. Graded MS60 by PCGS, this piece is the sole example at this grade, with none graded higher. The surfaces display original luster, bold strike detail, and minimal contact marks—a testament to both the U.S. Mint’s craftsmanship and the meticulous post-recovery conservation.

Each coin from this recovery was carefully cleaned by hand using sable-hair brushes and non-acidic sodium salt baths, a painstaking process designed to retain the coin’s original beauty while removing harmful residues.

Adding to its historical significance, this coin is accompanied by a pinch of raw California Gold Rush gold, a physical remnant of the very gold that fueled westward expansion and America’s industrial rise.

For collectors and investors alike, this is far more than a coin—it is a once-in-a-generation artifact of American resilience, commerce, and history. The opportunity to own a rare 1854 $20 Liberty Double Eagle from the SS Central America, in PCGS MS60 with none finer known, is not just uncommon—it’s historic.