Sold Out!
50 centavos 1855 So Chile KM#128 NGC Silver SS Central America Shipwreck
50 centavos 1855 So Chile, KM#128
Sold "$475.00" on "19-08-2024"
SoldCertified by NGC.
Pascual Esquerra Hoard.
SS Central America, known as the Ship of Gold, was a 280-foot (85 m) sidewheel steamer that operated between Central America and the East Coast of the United States during the 1850s. She was originally named the SS George Law, after George Law of New York. The ship sank in a hurricane in September 1857, along with 425 of her 578 passengers and crew and 30,000 pounds (13,600 kg) of gold, contributing to the Panic of 1857. (Taken from Wikipedia)
Research tells us that there were numerous South Americans included among the passengers aboard the S.S. Central America when it sank in a hurricane on September 12, 1857. One of them, Pascual Esquerra, was a Chilean-Spanish businessman who listed his hometowns as Valparaiso, Chile, and Zaragoza, Spain. Among the gold ingots and coins was found a hoard of Chilean silver coins: Pesos and half pesos (50 Centavos). It is reasonable to assume that Pascual Esquerra brought these coins as part of his luggage, probably transporting this wealth from Chile to Spain.
Those coins were discovered among the wreckage of the S.S. Central America 131 years after it descended to the ocean’s floor. It is not known if Esquerra kept bags of silver coins in his First Class cabin, two decks above the hold, or if he had the purser deposit them with the treasure of the commercial shipment, down in the hold. Either scenario is a possibility. NGC has encapsulated Chilean coins from the SS Central America as “Pascual Esquerra Hoard.
______________________________