Description

One of the most famous shipwrecks in American history didn’t take place during a war and did not result from human error in the construction of the vessel. The SS Central America sank in 1857 and took with it 30,000 pounds of gold. In 1988, the wreck of the SS Central America was found beneath the waves, 7,000 feet down in the Atlantic Ocean. Right now, 1857 SS Central America Gold Double Pinch is available to purchase online from Maritime Coins and Collectibles.

Product Highlights:

• Gold Pinch arrives in a PCGS protective plastic slab!
• Salvaged from the wreck of the SS Central America!
• Certified by the PCGS as authentic gold from the SS Central America!
• Contains roughly 1 Gram of actual gold content.
• Gold pinch is held within a capsule space at the center of the slab.
• Label in the slab is signed by Bob Evans.

Each of the 1857 SS Central America Gold Double Pinch items in this listing come with a PCGS protective plastic slab. The inner label with slab is signed by Bob Evans. This label is known as the SS Central America Bell. Bob Evans’ signature on the label is significant as he is the Chief Scientist of the SS Central America Ship of Gold Project. In total, there is roughly 1 Gram of .800+ gold content in this double pinch.

The term double pinch comes from the heyday of the American West. Many of the individuals who moved west in search of gold wound up panning in riverbeds in hopes of striking it rich. What most of these individually came back with were small flakes of gold and the occasional gold nugget. Bars in the American West were comfortable taking gold flakes or small nuggets as payment, and miners would often put a double pinch of gold on the bar for a double shot of liquor.

Starting in 1988, the gold that was lost in 1857 on the SS Central America was recovered from the wreck. The ship had gone down during a hurricane while sailing from the Isthmus of Panama to New York City. The loss of the SS Central America sent the American economy into a tailspin, causing a run on banks as Americans worried about a shortage of gold and starting the Panic of 1857.