One of the most studied periods of United States history is the war for southern states’ independence, the American Civil War. It is historically significant and popular . . . and so is the coinage from the Civil War era. One thing for sure is that the time-capsule of coinage lost in 1865 at the conclusion of this critical period in history will be a treasured and tangible reminder of the beginning of a new era in America. Finest Known has a wide selection of silver half dollars from this treasure trove, each one having the distinguished pedigree of the recovered SS Republic shipwreck.

During and just after the Civil War, in both the North and especially in the South, gold and silver coins were a valued but extremely scarce commodity. Rampant inflation, caused by both sides financing theirhuge war costs through the near-nonstop printing of paper currency, resulted in the widespread hoarding of “hard money” – real gold and silver.

At the end of the war, the South, for all practical purposes, was broke . . . its paper money was worthless, its hard money virtually gone.Accordingly, bankers and businessmen from the North were shipping keg-loads of hard money – and especially silver coins – to the South to take advantage of the coins’ inflated purchasing power. In fact, the vast majority of coins shipped on the last fateful voyage of the S.S. Republic – and there were thousands upon thousands of these coins – were U.S. silver half-dollars. Silver coins can be adversely affected by salt water. Unless careful preventive steps are taken, long exposure to salt water can cause extensive corrosion and pitting of silver coins.

In the case of the silver coins recovered from the S.S. Republic shipwreck, however, great care was taken to ensure that the effects of their 140-year-long exposure to salt water was minimized. Each of the S.S. Republic silver half dollars offered here have been professionally conserved by Numismatic Conservation Services, a recognized leader in the field. The result is a remarkably clear and stable finish on the silver coins . . . many look as bright and new as the day they were minted. Combine that with a beautiful hardcover epic book on the sinking and recovery of the SS Republic, a DVD of the National Geographic channel’s Ultimate Explorer television program and certificate of authenticity, and you have a beautiful and lasting numismatic treasure from the Civil War era like no other.And the best part is, it is a numismatic treasure that can be extremely affordable as well.

THE STORY OF THE S.S. REPUBLIC TREASURE

In October of 1865, six months after the end of the great U.S. Civil War, the side-wheeled steamer S.S. Republic was bound from New York to New Orleans with a precious cargo of aid and supplies for the post-war Reconstruction effort. The ship never made port, sinking in a massive hurricane off the coast of Georgia. The ship and its cargo, including a reported $400,000 in gold and silver coins, came to rest 1,700 feet deep in the Atlantic Ocean. Nearly 140 years later a team of salvage experts, aided by state-of-the-art electronics and recovery equipment, found and brought to the surface a stunning treasure trove from the shipwreck, including thousands upon thousands of Civil War era gold $20 Double Eagles, $10 Eagles and silver half-dollar coins, all in amazingly pristine condition. This treasure, which included a number of the finest-known examples of Civil War era coinage ever seen, is now available for acquisition by those who can appreciate this once-in-a-lifetime numismatic opportunity.

PAINSTAKINGLY CONSERVED, GRADED & CERTIFIED

From the moment they were first viewed on the ocean floor, great care was taken to protect and preserve the S.S. Republic coins. Each of the silver half-dollars recovered has been conserved by Numismatic Conservation Services, the country’s leading coin conservation facility, and certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) as having a “shipwreck effect.” Gold coins recovered from the shipwreck site have been graded and certified by NGC. Each gold and silver coin is individually numbered and sealed in a tamper-proof, clear acrylic capsule.

For generations, coin collectors have coveted special coins “with a story.” With the discovery of thousands of high-grade, formerly rare issues of historic U.S. coins from celebrated shipwrecks like the SS Republic, these numismatic treasures have received tremendous publicity in both the press and the collecting community. These are truly spectacular coins with spectacular stories behind them. Finest Known Financial is involved in all aspects of the rare coin trade – the wholesale market, the collector market, the international market and auctions. With this expertise and access to the most intriguing rare coins available, Finest Known is prepared to offer you the best values the market has to offer.And remember, Finest Known will always make you an offer to buy your certified rare U.S. coins, even if you purchased them elsewhere.