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COIN
Unique ID: MAS-D100191
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
This find comprises of a single gold coin from the USA with a value of $10. This 1847 minted coin was created for standard circulation and measures 27 mm in diameter with a weight of 16.72 grammes, the coin is minted in an alloy of 90% gold and 10% copper. It is of a type known as a Coronet Head - Eagle, based on the depictions on each face. The head side shows a side profile of lady liberty wearing a coront inscribed with the word "LIBERTY", the obverse bearing a spread eagle with a crest upon it and the words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TEN D." inscribed around the circumference of the coin. The edge of the coin is finished with a pattern known as reeding. A total of 862,258 of these coins were minted in 1847 and these are considered to be of high value due to their rarity. Another batch of coins was produced in the same year but bear the letter O below the eagle on the obverse face (https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces16125.html accessed 10 March 2020). The engraving of the master coin was carried out by a Christian Gobrecht and the coins were minted in Philadelphia (https://www.usacoinbook.com/coins/4090/gold-10-eagle/coronet-head/1847-P/ accessed 10 March 2020).
It is not clear why the SS Pomerania was carrying such a coin, though the vessel carried passengers between Europe and the United States. It may have belonged to a passenger, although as the vessel was en route to the USA this would have required changing currency prior to departure. Alternatively it may have belonged to a crew member or the vessel itself for purchasing supplies and the like whilst in US ports.
Notes:
This item was recovered from the wreck of SS Pomerania, a German ocean liner steamer built in 1873 by J. Caird & Co., in Greenock. This vessel was one of many owned by the Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft (HAPAG); a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg in 1847 that transported hundreds of thousands of emigrants from Germany, Scandinavia, and eastern Europe to the United States, Canada, Latin America, and other destinations around the world. The ship sank in 1878, 5 miles SE of Folkestone whilst carrying 109 passengers and 111 crew en route from New York to Cherbourg and Hamburg, last from Plymouth, following a collision with Welsh barque Moel Eilian and resulting in the loss of 55 lives. NRHE and Kent HER reference numbers cited in this record refer to the wreck of SS Pomerania.
This item was found with an unidentified object, possibly part of a watch chain (MAS-D100192).
Class:
CURRENCY
Sub class: COIN
Subsequent actions
Current location of find: With finder
Wreck details
Droit number: 134/18
Chronology
Broad period: NINETEENTH CENTURY
Period from: NINETEENTH CENTURY
Period to: NINETEENTH CENTURY
Date from: AD 1847
Date to: Circa AD 1847
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Weight: 16.72 g
Diameter: 27 mm
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Thursday 21st June 2018
Personal details
Found by: This information is restricted for your login.
Recorded by: Mr Robbie Trevelyan
Other reference numbers
NRHE monument number: 883110
Other reference: Kent HER Number: TR 33 SW 26
Droit ID: 134/18
Materials and construction
Primary material: Gold
Secondary material: Copper
Manufacture method: Stamped
Completeness: Complete
Numismatic data
No numismatic data has been recorded for this coin yet.
Coin references
No coin references available.
Spatial coordinates
4 Figure: TR1026
Four figure Latitude: 50.995066
Four figure longitude: 0.99125136
1:25K map: TR1026
1:10K map: TR12NW
Display four figure position on What3Words
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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Timeline of associated dates
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