This image is from David Scott’s classic book, The Egypt's Gold, and shows the first salvaged coins from the SS Egypt being cleaned; there is every chance that mine was right there among them as only the first 1000 recovered were processed by the Board of Trade. This has got to be a unique image, a third-party, graders detailed “cleaned” coin, and an image of the coin potentially being cleaned 70 or 80 years before it was graded. This insight is possibly unique. I have mentioned before that I don’t mind buying graded coins with “cleaned” details. This is because much of what I collect has been recovered from the ground or the sea, and is hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. I entirely expect these coins to have been cleaned, and I would be surprised if they weren’t. For some time, I have been looking for an SS Egypt coin that met my criteria: namely, being accompanied by the original leather case and Certificate of Authenticity (COA) issued by the British Board of Trade. These BOT-issued cased coins were restricted to just 1,000 specimens, representing the very first ones recovered. This is one of them and the coin I was lucky enough to find with its original salvage issued case. Fortunately for me, many collectors are more interested in the grade on the plastic slab than the coin within it. This gives me the opportunity to pick up pieces that represent tremendous history at bargain prices. The coin I acquired recently is a perfect example. I paid $292 over spot for it, but because it includes the original 1932 case and COA, I am absolutely delighted. The salvage of the SS Egypt was an iconic recovery, and at the time, the most challenging and technical deep-sea operation ever achieved. So, to the graders out there: this is the reality of what happens to shipwreck gold. It is exactly why a "cleaned" label doesn't bother me in the slightest— I collect coins, not grades and this is part of their story. I’ll post about the SS Egypt salvage on “The Shipwreck Corner” thread.
Thanks, I love stories like this, and it prompted me to learn about the ill-fated SS Egypt and the salvage operation. Can you imagine going 128 meters (420 ft) underwater in this contraption? No, thank you...
