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Message:: [QUOTE="cpm9ball, post: 2198876, member: 24633"]Thanks for posting this! Back in 2005, when NGC was in the process of conserving the coins and artifacts, collectors at that time were still allowed to make appointments for submitting their coins in person. I used to take advantage of this because I lived a little more than an hour to the south. I happened to be there the day that the "suits" from Odyssey Marine were there to take possession of the coins. Although I didn't actually see any of the coins, I did see the stacks of boxes piled about 2' x 3' x 2' on the floor which represented about $50,000,000 or so. Security was very high, so I was asked to wait outside. The head of NGC security asked me if I would like to see some of the artifacts that were being conserved. Naturally, I said yes. The room was about 15'x20' and there were all sorts of items in various stages of conservation......shoes, china, ship's portholes, silverware, etc. But, the most awesome part of this conservation effort was the ship's bell which was being suspended in a solution intended to remove the effects of the salt water. It was about 18-24" high, and you could clearly read the ship's name....USS TENNESSEE. You see, this was a Confederate ship during the Civil War, and the name wasn't changed to the SS REPUBLIC until after the war ended. Chris[/QUOTE]