“Granite Lady Hoard” Type-I $20 Gold Coins
San Francisco-Minted “Granite Lady Hoard” Type-I $20 Gold Coins
By Adam Crum
It was April 18, 1906 and the thriving international city of San Francisco was beginning the hustle and bustle of a what probably seemed like just another beautiful crisp spring morning in the “City by the Bay.” However, Mother Nature had something else in store.
A massive magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked the northern west coast of the Golden State, and the aftermath over the following three days must have been a living hell. This beautiful city had experienced devastating fires before; in fact, in its early Gold Rush days, this rapidly expanding and thriving city burned almost completely five separate times between 1849 to 1852.
But by 1906, San Francisco had grown to become a big and important commercial center and a fascinating city with much cultural diversity and a population that exceeded 500,000. The fires that burned out of control for three days destroyed much of the city and it is believed that nearly 300,000 people were left homeless. With much of the city in rubble or burned, there was one building that was miraculously left standing and remains today as an historic National Landmark: That building was the United States Mint in San Francisco, or what has affectionately become known as the ”Old Granite Lady.”
This historical structure withstood the terrifying earthquake and the ensuing hell of fire, and within its walls, so survived also hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of dollars worth of gold and silver coins. Of the surviving coinage was a small cache of older $20 gold coins stored within the Mint’s vaults. Amazingly, some of those surviving coins were Type-I $20 Gold Double Eagles that were minted in San Francisco, and which existed for the same reasons a mint was built in San Francisco in the first place: the California Gold Rush.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
Comments
So, are they saying that these were the coins from the mint's safe?
Or?
What hoard?
BHNC #203
Excuse me? Explain to me how these are (allegedly) sourced to the Second San Francisco Mint, which was built after this design was discontinued, and how they survived the draconian government meltdown of gold coins in the 1930's!
"description' from Heritage Not this coin but mentions the Granite Lady.
1865-S $20 AU55 PCGS. Ex: Granite Lady Hoard. Small S. This green and rose-gold double eagle was salvaged from the Second San Francisco Mint rather than one of the shipwrecks that account for the relative high-grade availability of this formerly elusive issue. Strike detail on the obverse is typically soft, strengthening a touch on the reverse. Abrasions and light friction over the high points fail to distract from this partly lustrous Choice AU survivor.(Registry values: N1793) (NGC ID# 269V, PCGS# 8944)
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
A type 1 $20 is on the asheland want list!
My YouTube Channel
This tale needs documentation.
Probably a marketing ploy of some sort
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
I'm sure they moved the contents of the safe.
PCGS recognizes the hoard
https://coinandbullion.com/product/1870-s-pcgscac-au58-granite-lady-hoard-20-liberty-head-gold/
I don;t believe it without some documentation. Seems like the publicity of this find who be a bit more pronounced if true. If they all have the euro look I'll be doubly skeptical.
Latin American Collection
NGC recognizes it also
https://images.app.goo.gl/uPNR8G45WmbCmSUaA
According to this, the SF Mint held 33% of US gold reserves at the time, which might explain where the hoard came from.
https://blanchardgold.com/the-san-francisco-mint/
So what? Where is the documentation?
You Tube video
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3n9byLYyz3g
Some interesting pictures/video of the coining process starting around the 13 minute mark.
Story of the battle to save the gold starts around 18:30
It does NOT however explain how the "hoard" became known as the "hoard" and who dispersed it. I'm still looking.
It appears the "hoard" only dates to 2016 and was acquired and so-named by Monaco Rare Coins.
look up. I posted some of the information.
Apparently, the old SF Mint held 1/3 of the U.S. gold reserves in 1906. This "hoard" was not uncovered in 1906 but was an acquisition in 2016. I don't know whether these coins were simply stuffed in a vault or what. I can't find specific information as to why these coins were in the SF Mint still or how Monaco Rare Coins came to possess them.
From David Lawrence Rare Coins:
Why we love it: You may ask, what is the Granite Lady Hoard? It’s a fair question, but the answer is a fascinating one as these coins survived numerous catastrophes in the housing of the U.S. Mint in San Francisco. Described affectionately as the “Granite Lady”, the San Francisco mint housed a small group of coins for many years in their vaults that entered the market in 2016. While many sold for huge premiums when initially released, these are now available for a much more reasonable price and could tell a fantastic story if only the coins could talk…
https://blog.davidlawrence.com/coins-we-love-october-12/
So, they weren't found in a ceramic shop's huge safe in the southeastern US?
Thanks for the added information. I recall being contacted circa 2016 regarding this "hoard." Looks like I was prudent to pass at the time if David Lawrence remains correct that the initial premium has dissipated.
Reads more like an ad than an historic story.
Appears to sort of be both.
Does make you wonder if there isn't a bag or two of something interesting STILL lying in a government vault somewhere.
It's funny how much money people will pay for a hoard or cache coin. Then the next discovery is made, and then no one cares about or remembers the previous ones.
The really good stuff is in the vault shown in the closing scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. I think I saw a monster-box of 33 DEs in that one shot.
1870-S is not a Type One coin.
The Granite Lady has not had an easy life for decades now and is the site of bio-harzards galore.
https://coinweek.com/expert-columns/adam-crum/san-francisco-minted-granite-lady-hoard-type-i-20-gold-coins-now-available/
"You Suck Award" - February, 2015
Discoverer of 1919 Mercury Dime DDO - FS-101
What a crock!
@CaptHenway.... Would that be a crock of coins? Or the proverbial crock of bovine fecal matter?? Likely the latter if I interpret your inputs correctly.....Onward we go.... Cheers, RickO