More than one-third of the gold coins recovered from the S.S. New York were of foreign origin and many of the gold U.S. coins were from the New Orleans Mint.
The accounting appears in a population report prepared by Numismatic Guaranty Corp. of the coins it has certified and graded.
Of the 297 graded gold coins recovered from the ship, which sank off the Louisiana coast in a storm Setp. 7, 1846, 123 coins were foreign, 72 were U.S. gold struck in New Orleans and a further 16 were from Dahlonega, Ga.
The remaining gold U.S. coins were from Philadelphia.
Most numerous among the U.S. coins struck in New Orleans were 18 1844-O $5 coins, followed by 17 small date 1843-O $2.50s, 10 1845-O $5s and six 1844-O $10s.
Most numerous among the Dahlonega coins were five 1845-D $5s and three 1843-D $5s.
The Philadelphia dates were widely scattered beginning with 1834 $5s and 1836 $2.50s. The largest groups were 17 1834 Classic Head $5s with the plain ?4? in the date and 15 1843 $5s.
Among the top grades, were an 1845-D $2.50 graded NGC MS-64, an 1844-D $5 in NGC MS-63 PL, the only prooflike example of the date to be certified, and two 1844-O $10 NGC MS-63 pieces, tied as the two finest examples of the issue certified.
The foreign coins include a Colombia 1816PN FR 8 escudos and a Denmark 1844 FF 2 Christians d?or graded NGC MS-62.
A Prussian 1776A 2 Friedrich d?or grading NGC F-15 was the oldest gold coin on the wreck.
There were 49 British sovereigns.
NGC says the majority of gold coins recovered from the S.S. New York showed no evidence of salt water exposure following conservation and were eligible for grading on the 70-point grading scale.
The conservation work was done by Numismatic Conservation Services.
Gold coins that did not survive as well and receiving the ?Shipwreck Effect? designations will be listed in a second report. This report will also include silver coinage recovered from the ship.
Copies of the S.S. New York population report can be downloaded from
NGC?s Web site as a PDF file. See www.ngccoin.com.
