1846 Quarter Eagle (1846 $2.50) SSNY NGC MS61.  Ex-SS New York. This shipwrecked 1846 Quarter Eagle shimmers with mint luster throughout its devices. Light surface abrasion, in keeping with the grade, is seen on both sides. The strike is sharp and full with every detail easy to observe. The coin comes encapsulated with NGC S.S. New York Shipwreck Certification.

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 for several hours, 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. 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 that the group knew it was close to finally finding all that was left in the wreckage. However, salvage plans were put on hold for a year when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit Louisiana's coast in August and September. Later, in 2006, the sight was explored again and the coins were found.

The 1846 quarter eagle is the only piece of this date and denomination found in the shipwreck.