1857-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle SSCA PCGS MS65

Introduction

The 1857-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle is a historic San Francisco Mint gold coin with a direct connection to one of America's most famous shipwrecks, the S.S. Central America. Designed by U.S. Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre, the Liberty Head Double Eagle was a major vehicle for transforming California Gold Rush bullion into federal coinage. This example was recovered from the S.S. Central America and is graded PCGS MS65, representing a Gem Uncirculated coin with no wear from circulation and exceptional overall preservation.

History

The San Francisco Mint struck 970,500 Liberty Head Double Eagles in 1857, during a period when enormous quantities of California gold were being converted into federal coinage. The $20 denomination was particularly useful for handling large amounts of gold, and Double Eagles became important instruments of commerce and banking during the era.
The story of the 1857-S Double Eagle became inseparable from the S.S. Central America, a side-wheel steamship that sank during a hurricane in September 1857 while carrying passengers and a large shipment of California gold. The loss contributed to financial strain during the Panic of 1857. More than a century later, the wreck was discovered and thousands of 1857-S Double Eagles were recovered from the seafloor. Many had been protected from ordinary circulation, preserving remarkable examples of mid-19th-century San Francisco gold coinage.

Design

The obverse features James B. Longacre's left-facing portrait of Liberty wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY. Her hair is arranged in a bun with curls descending behind her neck, while thirteen stars representing the original states surround the portrait. The date 1857 appears below.
The reverse features a heraldic eagle with outstretched wings and a shield on its breast, surrounded by an oval of stars and rays. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA appears around the design, with the denomination TWENTY D. below. As a Type I Liberty Head Double Eagle, the 1857-S predates the addition of IN GOD WE TRUST to the reverse. The S mintmark identifies the coin as a product of the San Francisco Mint.