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Post your own itemIn US Coins > US Five Dollar Gold Coins > Show & Tell.
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1843 $5 Gold Half Eagle from the S.S. New York Shipwreck

US Coins6 of 81909 D Gold Five dollar Indian Head PREVDr. Parsons $5 Colorado Territory Gold NEXT
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Learn more about:

$5 United States Indian Gold Pieces 1908-1933

US Five Dollar Gold Coins

Related article:

An Interview with Smithsonian Coin and Currency Curator Richard Doty

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Posted 22 months, 22 days ago

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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

Comments

  1. SuperSLO, 16 months, 1 day ago
    Who can NOT like shipwreck gold?!?!
  2. AC_Dwyer AC_Dwyer, 15 months, 23 days ago
    I couldn't agree more!
  3. DAVID POUGH, 8 months, 12 days 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, 5 months, 14 days 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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