Beautiful 1865-S $20 Brother Jonathan #696 PCGS MS63
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Beautiful
1865-S $20 Brother Jonathan #696 PCGS MS63 - $15,500.
Lustrous 63+.
A strong strike and muted mint luster characterize
this Western branch mint, Civil War dated 1865-S Double
Eagle that comes with the provenance of the ill-fated
SS Brother Jonathan. The strike shows full details
on the centers of the stars, Liberty’s hair,
and the design elements of the reverse, especially
the eagle. The surfaces are original and clean for
the grade with no individually notable abrasion marks.
The SS 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.
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