The second salvage process being conducted in the wreck of the S.S. Central America might not produce as much treasure as the first did in 1988, but an inventory of what has been recovered so far is enough to cause coin collectors to drool.
An inventory posted July 17 on the website of Odyssey Marine Exploration, shows in addition to more than 90 1857-S $20 gold coins, 11 Kellogg & Co. gold $20s, two Moffat & Co. gold $10s as well as two $20s from the same source, two Wass Molitor & Co. gold $10s and two $20s, and a Kellogg & Humbert Assayers 24.58-ounce gold bar.
Estimated value of what might be recovered from the wreck runs to tens of millions of dollars, but these estimates also include artifacts from the ship, which sank in a hurricane off the East Coast in 1857.
There is no telling how long it will take for recovered items to be properly curated and offered on the numismatic market. There are also legal issues to be settled. It took more than a decade for coins found in the first salvage program to reach collectors.
