1852 Wass Mol $10 Large Head, SS Central America, PCGS XF40. Partial mint luster shows on this historic 1852 Wass Molitor $10.00 private mintage coin. It shows contact marks and abrasions on the obverse and reverse, consistent with the grade. Although slight wear is seen on the highest points of the design, it is complete and fully legible. The reverse is weakly struck as are all $10.00 of this mintage. S. C. Wass and A.P. Molitor were freedom fighters in the Hungarian War of independence.

They set up a private assay office in San Francisco to make bullion ingots for storage purposes. Because circulating coinage was not available, they also coined five and ten dollar denomination coins in 1852 that were 880 Fine. They purchased an used reverse die from Dubosq & Company for use on the ten dollar denominations, which explains the weak appearance of the reverse.

The coin shows a modified Liberty Head Coronet (the Large Head variety), with W.M. & CO. inscribed on the coronet and a modified heraldic eagle on the reverse. The legends on the reverse say S.M.V. CALIFORNIA GOLD TEN D.

The present piece has the added interest of having been recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Originally called the S.S. George Law, the Central America was a United States mail steamship. In 1857 it sank off the coast of the Carolinas because of a huge hurricane. In 1985, the Columbus-America Discovery Group raised ten million dollars and began to search for the wreck. They found it at a depth of 8,500 feet off the coast of South Carolina. It is estimated that the total coin, ingots, and gold bars were worth more than one hundred million dollars.

The PCGS population report for this coin shows a total of 105 Large Head varieties in all grades.