1853–1856 Chile 1 Peso & 50 Centavos SS Central America Pascual Esquerra Hoard NGC-Certified 2-pc Set w/Gold Nugget

Authentic Silver Coins Recovered From Historic "Ship of Gold"

On September 12, 1857, the SS Central America sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean 160 miles offshore from Charleston, South Carolina. The vessel was known as the "Ship of Gold." And for good reason!

A Civil War-Era Treasure Ship Lost For More Than A Century

The Central America earned her nickname not for her splendor or decorations, but from her famous cargo: tons of gold coins, as well as raw nuggets from the California Gold Rush. When she went down, the Central America took with her an amount of gold that would be valued today at $300 million! The loss of the gold cargo was a major factor in the financial Panic of 1857. The cargo wouldn't begin to be recovered for 131 years when in 1988, more than 7,000 gold coins were retrieved from the wreck, making it a household name among collectors. But it would be another 25 years until the greatest discovery among the wreckage of the Central America would be located and recovered using an unmanned submersible.

Silver Coins from the SS Central America shipwreck's Pascual Esquerra Hoard

In addition to the gold coins what was also discovered was a small hoard of Chilean silver Pesos and 50 Centavos Half-Pesos coins that had been brought on board by Spanish businessman Pascual Esquerra. These highly pure 90% fine silver coins were struck in Chile from 1853 to 1856 and have been certified by the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) as hailing from the famous SS Central America shipwreck's Pascual Esquerra Hoard. In this two-piece set you can secure both a Silver Peso and a 50 Centavos coin recovered during the SS Central America Project's return expedition in 2014. Each set will be accompanied by an actual California Gold Rush nugget recovered from the wreck. Pascual was one of the 425 brave souls on the ship did who did not survive the S.S. Central America's sinking. And now, what was once Pascual's treasure could be yours!