1862-S Double Eagle (1862-S $20) SS Republic NGC AU58. This lovely eagle exhibits somewhat darker gold toning in the lower third of the obverse as well as the area above Libertys head, which lightens to the left and right rims. Her face has some medium toning around her brow, cheek and chin.

The reverse also has darker toning in the lower right field and at the top of the design. The coins luster highlights Libertys hair and tiara on the obverse and the shield, eagles head, wings, and arrows on the reverse. There is a slight rub on the high points of the obverse, which probably accounts for the non-mint state grade. In addition there are a few scattered contact marks in the obverse field and on Libertys cheek. The reverse shows die breaks through most of the lettering and a minor scratch between states and of. Prior to the discovery and reclamation of the Republics treasure, all S minted eagles of this date were rare to prohibitively rare

In 1865 following the Civil War, the treasure ship S.S. Republic sank in a hurricane off the coast of Savannah. In 2003 the Odyssey Republic Expedition, after twelve years of searching, discovered and began the recovery of the ships treasure. The cargo of riches, every explorers dream, had lain for 138 years approximately 100 miles off the coast of Georgia. Lost Gold of the Republic, a film produced by National Geographic documents the discovery and recovery. These San Francisco double eagles were created to use the nations gold that had been discovered in the California Gold Rush. They are Type I Liberties, also called Coronets, minted from 1849-66, with no motto. Neither In God We Trust nor E Pluribus Unum appear on the coin. Beginning in 1866, the motto In God we trust was added because of pressure from a campaign led by Reverend M.R. Watkinson of Pennsylvania. The coins recovered from the S.S. Republic are labeled as such by NGC and its affiliate NCS not only to note the historic significance of the coin, but also to indicate that these coins have been professionally conserved.