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1843 $5 Gold Half Eagle from the S.S. New York Shipwreck

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    Posted 14 years ago

    AC_Dwyer
    (13 items)

    I don't know what it is about shipwrecks, but I'm drawn to them like a moth to light.

    This 1843 Philadelphia half eagle is from the SS New York shipwreck which sank during a hurricane enroute from Galveston, Texas to New Orleans, Louisiana on September 7, 1846. It sank just a few months after the Republic of Texas joined the United Stated States as the 28th state, and the start of the Mexican-American War. It was reported that 17 of the 53 passengers and crew perished.

    What makes this shipwreck interesting is that contrary to other 19th century shipwrecks that have been discovered in recent years, this shipwreck did not carry a shipment of gold double eagles as it sank over 3 years before the first double eagle was produced. Instead it carried over $14,000 in smaller denomination gold worth numismatically in the millions of dollars today.

    You can read more about the SS New York shipwreck on my website at: http://acdwyer.com/ssny_pg1.aspx

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    Comments

    1. SuperSLO SuperSLO, 14 years ago
      Who can NOT like shipwreck gold?!?!
    2. AC_Dwyer AC_Dwyer, 14 years ago
      I couldn't agree more!
    3. DAVID POUGH, 13 years ago
      HELLO
      ON APR 04 21 2011 I BOUGHT 17 G5LB GOLD $5 LIBERTY BU FROM MERIT FINANCIAL FOR $554.08 A PIECE--WAS THAT A FAIR PURCHASE ON MY PART ??? UNCIRCULATED
      I JUST STARTED SURFING THE WEB AND NOW I AM QUESTIONING MY PURCHASE.
      WHAT DO YOU THINK

      THANK YOU

      DAVID

      davidpough@hotmail.com
    4. AC_Dwyer AC_Dwyer, 13 years ago
      @ David - I can't really say whether or not it was a fair price without knowing more about the coins. Based on the price of gold at the time, you paid about a 50% premium to their bullion value.

      But if the coins have any numismatic value, then the bullion value wouldn't really matter. The numismatic value depends on their rarity, condition, and current collector demand, which in any case has probably gone down since April.

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