October 3, 1857 Harper’s Weekly Frame w/ SS Central America Seated 10C, Bust 10C, Eureka Nuggets

SS Central America Shipwreck Collection

“The Greatest Treasure Ever Found” – Life Magazine, March 1992

On September 12, 1857, the side-wheel steamer SS Central America was tragically lost in a hurricane off the Carolina coast. Known as the “Ship of Gold,” it carried hundreds of passengers and tons of California Gold Rush treasure to New York. Its sinking triggered one of the greatest financial panics in American history—and left behind one of the most legendary shipwreck stories ever told.

The following is an incredible tale of tragedy and survival of the worst maritime disaster in American history. It is an exact transcript from the October 3, 1857 Harper’s Weekly newspaper. A man who’s will to survive gave him the strength to cling to life and live to tell the tale after the sinking of the ship.

“Waves washed over us before. I did not realize the difference between this one and its predecessors till I felt my feet lose their hold, and saw all dark above. I knew that I was going down—down—down. I tried to resist the downward suction, but it was impossible. Down, slowly, very slowly, I went, till I was in the depths of the deep, and the pressure of the water on my ears and nose was excruciatingly painful. I think I fainted in consequence. If I did, the sensation of rapid motion through the water revived me. I was rising to the surface. I never realized the power of water before. My utmost strength could not in the least moderate or alter my motion.

Oh! It was heart-rending to hear that shriek which rose from the belly of the waves as five hundred men rose from the depths and found themselves floating on the surface of the ocean, in the night, miles and miles from land. They rose, thick as a shoal of fish, striking each other, and being struck by the fragments of the wreck…”

His incredible story was chronicled less than a month later in the October 3, 1857, issue of Harper’s Weekly—the very first year of the publication. This rare original issue, offered here, includes his suspenseful first-hand account, written in the dramatic 19th-century style that reads like a nautical adventure novel. A full transcript is mounted on the back for display.

Artifacts from the “Ship of Gold”

This historic collection also includes:

·      1.5 grams of Gold Nuggets

·      Recovered from the debris field of the wreck, these raw nuggets and dust once circulated hand-to-hand during the Gold Rush era. Gold pokes, saddlebags, and personal stores of miners were found scattered around the wreckage—tangible reminders that in 1857, this was literally money in your hands.

·      Seated Liberty Dime & Capped Bust Dime

·      Preserved for over 130 years in the ship’s Purser’s Safe, these silver dimes were struck long before the ill-fated voyage. Their survival offers a direct connection to the daily coinage carried by passengers aboard the Central America during its final journey.

This remarkable offering combines a rare original Harper’s Weekly survivor account, authentic shipwreck gold, and historic U.S. coinage—a museum-worthy ensemble from America’s most famous lost treasure ship.