1846-O $5 (1846-O Half Eagle) SS New York, NGC MS62. This mint state, rare, branch mint, shipwrecked 1846-O Half Eagle has bright mint luster glowing within the devices. The slightly darker field gives the obverse an almost cameo look. The obverse strike is strong with full centers on the stars and full separation on the strands of Libertys hair. The reverse is above average with full feathers on the eagles neck and full details on the shield. Of course, no wear is seen on the coin, as expected for the grade.

When Mint Engraver William Kneass was unable to resume his duties after a debilitating stroke, Christian Gobrecht was asked to do his work, which included making a new half eagle that would be uniform with the eagle. The Liberty Head (No Motto on Reverse) half eagle was minted from 1839 to 1866.

Gobrechts design shows a left facing profile of Liberty wearing a LIBERTY inscribed coronet. Her hair is tied in the back and there are two loose curls that hang down her neck. Around the head are thirteen six-pointed stars, and the date is below the truncation. At the periphery of the coin are dentils. The coin also has a reeded edge. The reverse shows a heraldic eagle similar to the one on the Classic Head eagle. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the eagle, except for its wing tips, in an arc. The denomination is below, separated with dots, and written as FIVE D. The mintmark is above the VE in the denomination.

The S.S. New York was a luxurious 160 foot side-wheel steamship with a wooden hull that was built in New York City in 1837. During most of its career it traveled between New Orleans and Galveston, Texas. It transported merchandise, provisions, and passengers. Now and then it carried troops to south Texas in support of the war against Mexico.

On September 5, 1846, while on route from Galveston, the ship found itself in the middle of a huge hurricane. After battling the high winds and giant waves, the ship sank. Of the 53 passengers, only 36 survived. In addition to the 17 people lost at sea were thirty to forty thousand dollars in United States gold and silver coins.

In 1990 a Louisiana oil field worker and an amateur diver found the wreckage. They used the oil workers electronic fish finder and information from shrimpers in the area. There was a snag at the bottom of the ocean that was dangerous to dragging nets. It was the remains of the S.S. New York. At first few coins were found near the wreck. The site was again searched in 1997 and 1998 but to no avail. It was in the summer of 2005 the group knew it was close to finally finding all that was left in the wreckage. However, salvage plans were on hold for a year when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit Louisiana's coast in August and September 2005. Later, in 2006, the sight was explored again and the coins were found.  While still out in the Gulf, the group of explorers took steps to form a limited liability company, Gentlemen of Fortune, for the purpose of securing legal rights to the treasure claim.

Coins recovered were conserved by Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS) and then certified by NGC. The population report includes 297 gold coins and over a thousand silver coins, representing a broad cross-section of coins used in commerce along Gulf of Mexico trade routes during the early nineteenth century.

The New Orleans Mint was authorized in 1835 by President Andrew Jackson, hero of the battle of New Orleans. The bill that Jackson signed also authorized the mints at Charlotte and Dahlonega. William Strickland, a Philadelphia architect designed all three branch mint buildings. The Mint building was made in the solid, bulky Greek Revival style of architecture. It was the largest of the three branch mints and located at major port of entry. Unfortunately Strickland did not account for the soft ground around the site. Because of it, the building had to undergo numerous repairs throughout its history.

Authorized to produce gold and silver, the New Orleans Mint struck quarter eagles and dimes in 1839. It operated from 1838 to 1909. In that time period 427 million silver and gold coins with the O mintmark were coined. By the mid 1850s denominations made in New Orleans included three cent silver pieces, half dimes, dimes, quarters, half dollars, silver dollars, gold dollars, quarter eagles, three dollar pieces, half eagles, eagles, and double eagles. The first deposit was of Mexican dollars which amounted to more than 32,400 dollars. The first coins struck were Liberty Seated Dimes. Each year between the beginning of August and the end of November, the mint closed because of the annual outbreak of yellow fever.

In mint state the half eagles of 1846-O are rare and eagerly sought after by investors and collectors. In its population report, NGC shows this coin as the only one graded MS62 with just one better at MS63. At PCGS there are 3 graded MS62 with none better. Clearly this coin, with its S.S. New York provenance and certificate of authenticity, is something special.