1238

Lot 1238 - 1865-S $20 Liberty PCGS MS65

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:6,000.00 USD Estimated At:12,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Lot 1238 - 1865-S $20 Liberty PCGS MS65
1865-S $20 Liberty. An extremely satiny, honey gold specimen with intense luster and overall physical and visual play that sits squarely in the gem category. Serial #453 and an incredible Gem for the grade, one that is both beguiling in its beauty as well as its historical setting. The present specimen, a part of the S.S. Brother Jonathan treasure that came to public auction in 1999, is a treasure unto itself! One of the few knockout Gem MS65 examples of the date certified by a third-party grading service.

Regarding the 1865-S treasure group, until the finding of the Brother Jonathan shipwreck, the existence of such a high-grade example was practically unheard of.

On the afternoon of July 30, 1865 the Brother Jonathan was wrecked in a storm off Crescent City, California, striking a submerged pinnacle now known as "Jonathan Rock" on St. George Reef, also known as the Dragon's Teeth. The S.S. Brother Jonathan gold coins are a remarkable group of rare coins! Most all were made at the San Francisco Mint and dated 1865. They are genuine Civil War era coins struck in precious metals from the California Gold Rush deposits. What is more fascinating is that these $20 Liberties are preserved in extraordinarily high, Brilliant Uncirculated, mint condition --even after reposing on the ocean floor for over 131 years! (#8944)