1865-S Double Eagle Brother Jonathan 613 - 1865-S $20 Brother Jonathan 613, PCGS MS63 CAC. Here is a Western branch mint, Civil War dated, Mint State 1865-S double eagle. The coin was salvaged from the ill-fated S.S. Brother Jonathan, with its provenance indicated on the PCGS label. The coin is brilliant and well struck. Full details are present on the centers of the stars, Libertys hair, and the design details of the reverse. The eagle is especially strongly struck. The surfaces are original and clean for the grade with no notable abrasion marks or other distractions. The CAC sticker tells us that the coin is a premium quality piece that full deserves the grade assigned.

The S.S. Brother Jonathan was built in 1851 by Edward Mills, a New Yorker who wanted to operate a shipping business during the Gold Rush era. The ship was 220 feet long and 36 feet wide. It traveled from New York to Panama. Its passengers would cross the Isthmus of Panama and proceed to California in another ship. In 1852, Cornelius Vanderbilt purchased the Brother Jonathan to replace one of his ships that had been wrecked. He had it sail around Cape Horn and used it on the Pacific to travel to California. Vanderbilt had the ship rebuilt to accommodate more passengers. In 1856 the ship was sold to Captain John Wright, who renamed it the Commodore. She traveled up the coast from San Francisco to Vancouver and back.

By 1861, the ship was in poor condition. It was sold to the California Steam Navigation Company and retrofitted. The original name was restored, and it continued to service the route from San Francisco to Vancouver. The Brother Jonathan was one of the fastest ships to sail that route and had a reputation for being one of the finest steamers on the Pacific Coast.

In 1865, the ship was headed from San Francisco to Portland. It carried about 150 passengers, a crew of 60 and a large cargo that included an unknown quantity of gold coins. The ship ran into heavy winds and put in to port at Crescent City. In the morning the voyage was resumed, but the seas were still rough. The captain ordered it returned to port, but it struck a submerged rock that was hidden just below the surface of the water. The ship sank along with most of the passengers, crew, and captain. In the 1990s a group of investors formed Deep Sea Research, Inc. and found the ship. More than 1000 gold coins were recovered.

James Barton Longacre, who designed the double eagle, was born in Pennsylvania in 1794. When he finished his apprenticeship in Philadelphia as a bookseller and a banknote engraver, he worked on his own as an engraver of book illustrations and bank notes. His works included one on the signers of the Declaration of Independence and another on stage personalities. In 1830, Longacre began a series of biographies of famous men in the military and the political arena. In 1834 the result of this series became the National Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Americans that was published in four volumes. Longacre and those who worked with him became famous because of this work. In 1844 Longacre came to work at the Mint. He was opposed by Franklin Peale, the Chief Coiner. Peale was probably responsible for some blundered dies that Longacre was criticized for making. Peal was involved in a private, illegal medal manufacturing business using Mint facilities. He was concerned that this new political appointee would interfere with his business, and he resisted Longacres appointment as Chief Engraver. Finally in 1854, Peale was fired by President Franklin Pearce. Longacre flourished in his position and was responsible for creating many new designs including the Indian Head cent, the two-cent piece, the Shield nickel, the Liberty Head gold dollar, the Indian Princess gold dollar, the three-dollar gold piece, and the Liberty Head double eagle.

The San Francisco Mint opened in 1854 because of the need to coin gold resulting from the California Gold Rush. In the West there was an abundance of gold bullion, nuggets and dust; however, there was also an acute shortage of circulating coinage. Congress authorized this mint to relieve the shortage and coin silver and gold and because transportation of bullion to Philadelphia was time consuming and hazardous. Because of its proximity to the Gold Rush area, San Francisco was chosen as the site of the new mint. In 1874 it moved into a new building called the Old United States Mint or the Granite Lady. It is one of the few structures that survived the earthquake of 1906. It remained in service as a mint until 1938, when the present facility opened.

In its first year of operation the Mint made four million dollars in gold coins from bullion. The second building, the Old United States Mint, was designed by Alfred B. Mullett in Greek Revival style. It was built in an E-shape with a central pediment portico. There was a completely enclosed courtyard that had a well. It was these features that saved it in the fire that resulted from the earthquake of 1906. The building was situated on a concrete and granite foundation that was made to prevent tunneling into its vaults. In 1906 there was $300 million, a third of the United States gold reserves, in its vaults. Frank Leach and his men worked heroically to successfully preserve the building and the bullion. The mint was able to resume service and operated until 1937. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.

In its population report, CAC does not distinguish salvaged coins; however, as of November 2012, they have confirmed 8 1865-S double eagles in MS63 condition with 17 better.