SS Republic gold coins

[bigjarofwasps]

http://www.shipwreck.net/ssrepublicartifacts-treasures.php

 

Over 51,000 U.S. gold and silver coins were recovered from the Republic wreck site, as well as nearly 14,000 artifacts "a stunning assortment of 19th century goods in use during the Civil War years.

Shortly after beginning the archaeological excavation in November 2003, a substantial number of gold coins was discovered at the stern of the ship, near the ship’s rudder. Using Odyssey Marine Exploration's proprietary Sediment Removal and Filtration (SeRF) system on the ROV ZEUS, sand was carefully removed from the site, revealing a dazzling carpet of gold hidden on the ocean floor for nearly 140 years.

More than 51,000 gold and silver coins were recovered from the seabed, including numerous $20.00 Double Eagles, $10.00 Eagles, silver half dollars and even a few silver quarter dollars each coin individually retrieved by the silicone limpet device attached to the ROV’s manipulator arm. All of the coins have been professionally conserved by Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS) and graded by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC). Unlike other recently salvaged shipwrecks, a wide variety of dates and mints ranging from the 1840’s to 1865 have been documented in this remarkable hoard including many of the finest-known examples of United States gold and silver coins from the period and highly collectable today.

In addition to its extraordinary cargo of gold coins, the SS Republic’s treasure yielded some exceptionally unique silver half dollars and provided an unprecedented opportunity for numismatic research.

In 1861, three different governments (the United States Government, the Louisiana government and the Confederacy) had control of the New Orleans Mint and struck silver half dollars there. Due to the large number of 1861-O Liberty Seated half dollars found on the SS Republic, coin experts were finally able to determine which coins were minted by each government by analyzing the subtle variations caused by the use of different dies. This research was published in the Gobrecht Journal in November 2006 and for the first time ever has allowed 1861-O Seated Liberty half dollars to be certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation as being minted by each of the three governments operating in Louisiana in 1861. After thorough documentation and reserving a representative sample for the permanent collection, Odyssey has made these historic coins available to collectors as individual coins or in a set representing all three minting governments in the New Orleans Mint Three Government Set.

A full set of 1861-O half dollars containing all 17 die variations is currently on display with 28 other rare coins from the SS Republic at the Louisiana State Museum located in the old U.S. Mint where the coins were originally minted.

Also aboard the Republic were stunningly preserved silver half dollars struck in the North by the U.S. Philadelphia Mint. These were found on the wreck site laying side by side with equally remarkable silver halves struck in the South’s New Orleans Mint. Together they symbolize the mighty struggle that divided the country in 1865, and today they make up an impressive Civil War Blue & Gray 1861 Half-Dollar Collection.

Of the many historic coins recovered from the shipwreck of the SS Republic, none captures the imagination more than the mystery-shrouded Civil War Coin, an 1858 silver half dollar minted in New Orleans and hand-inscribed with the word “WAR” and “1861” on the front of the coin and “EC” perhaps someone’s initials on the reverse. Who was “EC”? A soldier for the South? Or a Yankee from the North? Was this a talisman or pocket piece carried in battle? Or was it a political or news commentary slipped into circulation? 

Edited March 19, 2016 by bigjarofwasps