The SS Central America sank off the coast of South Carolina in 1857. It carried a huge amount of California gold, much of it in the form of double eagles struck in San Francisco. Because there were hundreds of tons of iron in and on the ship, a layer of rust of a type know as goethite was deposited on nearly all the gold over many decades. And was present when the coins were salvaged. Bob Evans, chief restorer of the Central America gold, developed a technique for removing the rust without damaging the gold underneath. It was a very gentle, successful technique. Many of the coins were graded MS. Sometimes the goethite would come off in large flakes, and the flakes would be a mirror image of the coin underneath. Bob preserved some of the largest flakes. One of the most spectacular is pictured below (photo by David Heinrich). It’s a cast of an 1857-S double eagle. To read more, see https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n24.html . Cal
I'd like it too, especially with an 1857-S double eagle to go with it ... even better, the double eagle that it's from. I imagine the flake is pretty fragile. Bob may have to coat it or embed it in plastic for it to survive. I wonder if the flake could be graded ... maybe a details grade ... corrosion. Cal
Given its fragility I would have no problem encasing it in a Lucite block. Very.. gently… I can’t seem to make my eye see that image in the negative relief. I almost get it and it flips back to a positive. Frustrating. Rick L.
