The Shipwreck Corner

SS New York.
I was really pleased to be successful with my bid on this coin. I’ve long wanted a piece from the SS New York, and to bag a British coin was both unexpected and welcome. Unlike the SS Central America, gold coins from this shipwreck are numbered in hundreds rather than thousands. While the real attraction for most is the rare American gold from the Southern Mints—Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans—I was hoping this 'foreign' coin might be overlooked amongst the Atocha and 1715 Fleet material.

It was no bargain in the end, but I managed to secure it for less than the usual price of a standard 1830 sovereign, which is a result. I’ve always been a fan of the bare head portrait of George IV; my very first non-ancient coin, which I still treasure, is an 1823 shilling given to me by my grandfather, who actually had it in his pocket change back in the 1930s.




Item: 1830 Great Britain Gold Sovereign (George IV)

Grade: AU55 (NGC Certified)

Pedigree: SS New York Shipwreck (Sunk 1846)

Acquisition: Heritage World Coin Auctions, Showcase Auction 61598 (Feb 2026).


The Tragedy of the SS New York

The SS New York was a 160-foot, wooden-hulled sidewheel steamship that epitomised the luxury of mid-19th-century Gulf travel. Built in 1837, it regularly shuttled passengers and cargo between Galveston, Texas, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

On 5 September 1846, the ship departed Galveston with 53 souls and approximately $40,000 in gold and silver coins—a staggering sum at the time. Two days into the voyage, the vessel was intercepted by a ferocious hurricane. By the early hours of 7 September, the storm’s intensity had torn away the smokestack and wheelhouse. As the hull breached, the rising water extinguished the boiler fires, leaving the ship powerless. The SS New York rolled and sank in about 60 feet of water, taking 17 lives with it.





For over 140 years, the wreck lay forgotten, known only to local shrimp fishermen as a "snag" that tore their nets. It wasn't until 1990 that a group of Louisiana amateur divers and oilfield workers—Avery Munson, Craig DeRouen, and Gary and Renee Hebert—located the site.

The recovery was a painstaking, multi-year process. Initial efforts yielded little, but in 2007, a full-scale salvage operation finally reached the main treasure hoard. They recovered over 2,000 silver coins and several hundred gold coins. The find was historically significant because, as mentioned previously, it contained a high concentration of rare gold from the short-lived Southern Mints (Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans), alongside international gold like this sovereign.

In total, 297 gold coins were recovered; this sovereign, a circulating currency coin at the time, serves as a testament to the wealth and internationalism of the ship’s passengers.

This one isn’t my coin but shows the obverse and reverse style more clearly than the Heritage image of my coin.




I’ve just ordered this book from Thrift Books in Illonois on EBay and hope to see it in the next two weeks.

I recommend them and have bought several books from them with no issues and a fraction of the cost of Abe Books or Amazon. Apparently they have sold 160 million books on Ebay since 2015!

I hope to learn more about this ship and the salvage from this book.

 

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