Lot 152
152
San Francisco Mint $20 gold with unidentified coin fused to obverse, date of double eagle not visible. The coin that adheres to the double eagle measures 19.3 mm in diameter and is heavily encrusted with slate gray and red; the host double eagle is lightly encrusted with red and black, heaviest on the reverse. The smaller coin may be a dime, although it is somewhat larger both in diameter and thickness than dimes of the era; the thickness and diameter may have been increased by the crust that formed over the 140 or so years of submersion in the Atlantic Ocean. It may also be a small cent (the diameter and thickness are nearly perfect for such a coin), but that would limit it to the Flying Eagle design type, further limiting the date to either 1856 (improbable) or 1857. One of many intriguing mysteries from the S.S. Central America.
Interesting Treasure Pair
San Francisco Mint $20 gold with unidentified coin fused to obverse, date of double eagle not visible. The coin that adheres to the double eagle measures 19.3 mm in diameter and is heavily encrusted with slate gray and red; the host double eagle is lightly encrusted with red and black, heaviest on the reverse. The smaller coin may be a dime, although it is somewhat larger both in diameter and thickness than dimes of the era; the thickness and diameter may have been increased by the crust that formed over the 140 or so years of submersion in the Atlantic Ocean. It may also be a small cent (the diameter and thickness are nearly perfect for such a coin), but that would limit it to the Flying Eagle design type, further limiting the date to either 1856 (improbable) or 1857. One of many intriguing mysteries from the S.S. Central America.

Details
San Francisco Mint $20 gold with unidentified coin fused to obverse, date of double eagle not visible. The coin that adheres to the double eagle measures 19.3 mm in diameter and is heavily encrusted with slate gray and red; the host double eagle is lightly encrusted with red and black, heaviest on the reverse. The smaller coin may be a dime, although it is somewhat larger both in diameter and thickness than dimes of the era; the thickness and diameter may have been increased by the crust that formed over the 140 or so years of submersion in the Atlantic Ocean. It may also be a small cent (the diameter and thickness are nearly perfect for such a coin), but that would limit it to the Flying Eagle design type, further limiting the date to either 1856 (improbable) or 1857. One of many intriguing mysteries from the S.S. Central America.