In August of 1857 some 477 passengers left the Vallejo Street Wharf in San Francisco headed from the California Gold Rush back to the east coast. Their journye began first by steamship to Panama, then over the isthmus by railroad– and finally aboard the S.S. Central America steamship headed for New York. Little did these adventurers on board the "Ship of Gold" realize they were headed toward a watery grave in the Atlantic Ocean. 

On that tragic day in September of 1857, the mail steamship S.S. Central America was battered by a fierce hurricane off the coast of North Carolina. Within a few hours, over 420 passengers and crew members plus the ship full of gold treasure sank to a watery grave where they remained buried beneath the Atlantic Ocean for the next 150 years. 

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Thanks to the recent advent of underwater robots, items from famous shipwrecks like the Titanic and the S.S. Central America have been brought to the surface and saved. The newest deep sea recovery technology was used to bring up and preserve these historic, National Treasures. At this time only, Austin Rare Coins is proud to offer to the American public a rare opportunity to acquire one of these important pieces of California Gold Rush history.

Without a doubt, the gold aboard the S.S. Central America shipwreck of 1857 is one of our country's most important gold hoards. It's been called “America’s Lost Treasure” and is often compared to the Crown Jewels of England or King Tut’s Tomb. Indeed, among the contents of this gold treasure ship are priceless pieces of American history and items of inestimable value– worth far more than ordinary collections of precious metals or rare coins.

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                                                            On Board Was a Hoard of Pre-Civil Gold Coins

This amazing shipwreck had on board tons of California gold bars– and a treasure chest filled with $20 Liberty gold coins, dated 1857. These coins were newly minted from the San Francisco Mint and were preserved underwater in gem, mint condition.

Since these 1857 gold coins were salvaged from the ocean floor, each one has been certified authentic and graded by PCGS. Each coin was placed in a specially sealed holder along with it's unique Pedigree designation "S.S. Central America" to forever guarantee the originality of these rare, National Treasures.

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                                                                                         The Ship of Gold

The National Treasures from the 1857 S.S. Central America Shipwreck, better known as The Ship of Gold.
Salvaged from the shipwreck was gold in the form of raw gold dust and even small nuggets. There were also gold assay bars weighing up to Eighty pounds. For rare coin collectors there are some of the most highly prized gold coins form the Pre-Civil War, frontier days including mint condition $20 Liberty gold pieces struck in 1857 at the United States branch mint in San Francisco.

There's No Other Shipwreck Like This One
Several books have been written about this historic Ship of Gold– the S.S. Central America that sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in 1857.

The most famous book is "America's Lost Treasure," a complete pictorial chronicle of the sinking and recovery of the United States Mail Steamship Central America. 
This amazing steamship, truly a treasure ship, not only carried 422 passengers, but 38,000 pieces of mail, and literally tons of gold ingots, gold nuggets and gold dust from the California Gold Rush of the 1850’s.