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Coin collecting gives hobbyists the chance to connect with the past. Shipwreck coins offer all that and more because they are tied to specific events, often tragic ones. Such coins provide intimate connections between collectors and those on the ships when they wrecked, survivors and deceased alike. Depending on the size and circumstances of the wreck, shipwreck coins may even provide connections with specific events that changed the histories of nations. While these coins are almost always worse for wear, they tell tales that other coins cannot, which is why every serious collector should have at least one. Scroll below to learn more about shipwreck coins and to find the perfect fit for your collection.
The SS Republic had a fascinating, albeit brief, history. Initially called the SS Tennessee, the ship launched in 1853. After serving as a merchant and later passenger vessel, she was seized by Confederate forces to be used as a blockade runner. It was renamed the CSS Tennessee, although she never escaped the Union blockade. The Union took it after it captured New Orleans, and it became a gunship known as the USS Tennessee and later the USS Mobile. After suffering damage in a hurricane, the ship was auctioned off, restored to its original name, and back in service as a civilian ship. On its fifth voyage between New York and New Orleans, she sank in a hurricane. While most of her crew and passengers survived on lifeboats, all the coins that she was carrying were lost.
When she wrecked, she was carrying $400,000 in coins, most of which were $10 and $20 gold pieces. Many of these coins were recovered after Odyssey Marine Exploration found the wreck in 2003. Among the coins recovered by the operation were many 1858-O Seated Liberty Half Dollars. GovMint.com is proud to have some of these recovered coins available for our customers.
Wealth has long traveled on ships, but the global commerce of the 15th century to the 19th century was particularly precarious. The Netherlands, England, France, Spain, and Portugal built empires and brought wealth from around the world home. Unfortunately, much of that wealth never made it to its intended destination. Some estimates suggest that a third of Spanish ships did not complete their final journeys. Coins from many of these wrecks have never been recovered, but GovMint.com will be here to offer them to you when they are!
Little is known about the shipwrecked ship dubbed the Atlantic Sands during the time it operated, but it was believed to be a merchant ship. After its tragic fate, the shipwreck was found with a large collection of bottles that likely stored rum, gin, or beer. However, its true treasure lay below deck, where a wooden box that had a large pile of silver coins spilling out was discovered. This hoard of coins included Spanish ½ Reales, 1 Reales, 2 Reales, and 8 Reales, four of the five main Spanish denominations known to circulate in the 13 colonies.
The discovery of these coins within the shipwreck was the result of a NASA search to recover the 1961 Liberty Bell 7 space capsule in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. At 3 miles deep, NASA happened to come across the Atlantic Sands, which is now known as one of the deepest shipwrecks ever found.
Since their discovery, the experts at the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) have stamped their approval on these recovered coins after they painstakingly inspected each to verify the date or date range. Through GovMint, collectors now have the opportunity to own historical shipwreck coins from a hoard that has an official Atlantic Sands pedigree from NGC.
The S.S. Tilawa, also known as “The Indian Titanic,” was a large sea vessel primarily used as a means of transportation between India and regions in the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. On November 23, 1942, during its voyage from Bombay, India, to Durban, South Africa, the S.S. Tilawa was sunk by a Japanese submarine amidst a naval battle between British and Japanese forces during World War II. When Tilawa sank, it claimed the lives of 280 people, including both passengers and crew members. The freighter also carried over 80 tons of 99.9% silver, valued at $378,000 at the time in 1942, and valued at $43 million in 2020.
Several full silver bars have since been recovered from the infamous shipwreck as recently as 2017 and subsequently melted and struck into bullion pieces of different sizes, including 99.9% silver bullion bars and silver bullion rounds. GovMint is proud to offer collectors the opportunity to own a piece of World War II maritime history. These newly stuck silver pieces are the perfect way to honor and commemorate this historic shipwreck.
The S.S. Central America, famously named the “Ship of Gold,” sank during a devastating hurricane in 1857, taking with it a fortune of treasure and dealing a massive blow to the U.S. economy. The steamer carried over $2,000,000 worth of gold—equivalent to $300,000,000 today—including thousands of freshly minted gold coins, ingots, and bullion from the California Gold Rush. Tragically, the sinking claimed the lives of 425 passengers and crew, including Captain William Herndon. The loss of this gold contributed to the Panic of 1857, a financial crisis that ushered in a severe economic recession.
For over a century, the S.S. Central America remained undiscovered, 8,000 feet beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. In 1988, explorers recovered over 7,000 shipwreck gold coins, preserving a time capsule of mid-19th-century treasure. The California Gold Marketing Group (CGMG) led a second wave of recovery efforts in 2014, unveiling even more treasure coins and artifacts, solidifying the “Ship of Gold” as one of history’s most significant shipwreck discoveries.
The S.S. Republic had a fascinating, albeit brief, history. Initially called the S.S. Tennessee, the ship launched in 1853. After serving as a merchant and later passenger vessel, she was acquired by Confederate forces to be used as a blockade runner. It was renamed the C.S.S. Tennessee, although she never escaped the Union blockade. The Union took it after it captured New Orleans, and it became a gunship known as the U.S.S. Tennessee and later the U.S.S. Mobile. After suffering damage in a hurricane, the ship was auctioned off, restored to its original name, and back in service as a civilian ship. On its fifth voyage between New York and New Orleans, she sank in a hurricane. While most of her crew and passengers survived on lifeboats, all the coins she was carrying were lost.
When she wrecked, she was carrying $400,000 in coins, most of which were $10 and $20 gold pieces. Many of these coins were recovered after Odyssey Marine Exploration found the wreck in 2003 and made available to collectors.
The S.S. Brother Jonathan, a side-paddle steamer, met its tragic fate on July 30th, 1865, after hitting the jagged rocks of St. George Reef near Crescent City, California. Overloaded with passengers, military supplies, and heavy equipment—including an army payroll in newly minted gold coins—the vessel sank within just 30 minutes. Of the 200+ people aboard, only 19 survived, making it the deadliest maritime disaster on the Pacific Coast. The tragedy left a lasting mark on local history, with victims memorialized at a cemetery in Crescent City that serves as a grim reminder of the loss.
The S.S. Brother Jonathan’s allure persisted for over a century until the wreck was located in the 1990s. After extensive legal battles, salvors recovered many gold coins, bullion, and personal artifacts. Among the items retrieved was a $5 Liberty-head gold piece, now displayed at the local Del Norte County Museum alongside other artifacts from the wreck. This discovery not only shed light on a historical catastrophe but also added the Brother Jonathan to the list of legendary shipwrecks yielding vintage gold coins.
The S.S. New York, a sidewheel steamer, got caught in a hurricane in September 1846 while sailing from Galveston to New Orleans. The vessel succumbed to the storm’s fury after water flooded the hold, extinguishing the boiler fires. Of the 53 passengers and crew aboard, only 36 survived, while the ship—and an estimated $40,000 in gold and silver coins—sank to the Gulf of Mexico’s depths. These shipwreck gold and silver coins, now valued in the millions, became the lost fortune of the S.S. New York, overshadowed by the events of the Mexican-American War.
In 1990, Louisiana resident Avery Munson salvaged coins from the site, leading to the confirmation of the S.S. New York four years later. Salvaging efforts by the self-proclaimed “Gentlemen of Fortune” ultimately recovered over 400 gold coins and 2,000 silver coins, adding significant value to this collection of shipwrecked coins. These artifacts were auctioned in 2008 and 2009, attracting strong interest from collectors who valued their tragic history, making the S.S. New York a notable maritime treasure.
The S.S. Gairsoppa, a British cargo steamship, tragically sunk on February 16, 1941, after being torpedoed by a German U-boat during WWII. Carrying a large shipment of silver, the ship sank in the North Atlantic, about 300 miles off the coast of Ireland. For decades, this trove of shipwrecked treasure remained hidden beneath the sea.
In 2012, Odyssey Marine Exploration recovered nearly 48 tons of silver from the wreck site, with another 61 tons salvaged the following year. In total, over 110 tons of silver, amounting to 2,792 ingots, were brought to the surface—more than 99% of the documented cargo. This extraordinary operation remains one of the largest deep-sea recoveries ever conducted, cementing the legacy of the S.S. Gairsoppa as a maritime treasure trove.
Wealth has long traveled on ships, but the global commerce of the 15th century to the 19th century was particularly precarious. The Netherlands, England, France, Spain, and Portugal built empires and brought wealth from around the world home. Unfortunately, some of that wealth never made it to its intended destination. Some estimates suggest that a third of Spanish ships did not complete their final journeys. Coins from many of these wrecks have never been recovered, but GovMint will be here to offer them to you when they are!