Home Precious Metals

100 tons of silver salvaged

GrumpyEdGrumpyEd Posts: 4,749 ✭✭✭
They salvaged the ship "City of Cairo" that was sunk in WW2.

Some neat pics, 2000 boxes containing 100 tons of silver coins and most are from the 1800s and look pretty good:
(no idea why they were moving those old coins)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/sainthelena/11536661/British-salvage-boat-recovers-treasure-from-wreck-of-SS-City-of-Cairo.html


Some more info about the ship:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_City_of_Cairo
Ed

Comments

  • cohodkcohodk Posts: 19,129 ✭✭✭✭✭
    image
    Excuses are tools of the ignorant

    Knowledge is the enemy of fear

  • Timbuk3Timbuk3 Posts: 11,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Wow, cool !!! :-)
    Timbuk3
  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 46,138 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You can count on some of this silver being used to strike special silver bars showing this ship like they did for the Gairsoppa which was also sunk during WWII.

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
    "Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
    "Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire

  • OPAOPA Posts: 17,121 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Interesting story....would make a great movie.
    "Bongo drive 1984 Lincoln that looks like old coin dug from ground."
  • OPAOPA Posts: 17,121 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Interesting .... would make a great movie.

    more info on the survivors
    "Bongo drive 1984 Lincoln that looks like old coin dug from ground."
  • DrBusterDrBuster Posts: 5,379 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>You can count on some of this silver being used to strike special silver bars showing this ship like they did for the Gairsoppa which was also sunk during WWII. >>



    I would be tempted to get one of these if they do, depending on the format/design.
  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 46,138 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>You can count on some of this silver being used to strike special silver bars showing this ship like they did for the Gairsoppa which was also sunk during WWII. >>



    I would be tempted to get one of these if they do, depending on the format/design. >>



    Have you seen the 10 oz S. S. Gairsoppa bar? It's very well executed and shows a very nice picture of this ship with information about the ship. J-M Bullion, APMEX and Provident used to sell them but they appear to be all gone. You can find them on eBay though but they are getting more expensive.

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
    "Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
    "Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire

  • DrBusterDrBuster Posts: 5,379 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>

    << <i>You can count on some of this silver being used to strike special silver bars showing this ship like they did for the Gairsoppa which was also sunk during WWII. >>



    I would be tempted to get one of these if they do, depending on the format/design. >>



    Have you seen the 10 oz S. S. Gairsoppa bar? It's very well executed and shows a very nice picture of this ship with information about the ship. J-M Bullion, APMEX and Provident used to sell them but they appear to be all gone. You can find them on eBay though but they are getting more expensive. >>



    I have seen them, something like that would be alright.
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The premium on such bars is usually high.... and holds for quite a while - depending on the popularity of the story. This is ok for that type of collection, but for stackers, price is critical. Cheers, RickO
  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 46,138 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>The premium on such bars is usually high.... and holds for quite a while - depending on the popularity of the story. This is ok for that type of collection, but for stackers, price is critical. Cheers, RickO >>



    The S. S. Gairsoppa 10 oz silver bars were only slightly more expensive than similar common 10 oz silver bars such as OPM, NTR, Silvertowne, Sunshine Minting, etc. when they first came out since they made quite a few of them. They appear to be sold out now and the ones I see on the secondary market (eBay) are more expensive but not excessively so. This new salvage involves 100 Tons and the owners could produce literally thousands of bars resulting in a fairly common bar that will be priced at a modest markup over melt value.

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
    "Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
    "Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire

  • piecesofmepiecesofme Posts: 6,669 ✭✭✭
    cool story, but why wait 2 years to make public esp. when a depth record was crushed?
    I'm also curious as to why the coins were being transported in such bulk by sea, does anyone know if that was pretty much common practice to do of that volume, and by sea? tia
    To forgive is to free a prisoner, and to discover that prisoner was you.
  • seebelowseebelow Posts: 1,643 ✭✭✭
    melted down to sell...ok....fine....but will any of the original coins be offered to the public in general? what or with you would be a good place to watch out for them...heritage auction, sothebys etc? I'm not too familiar with the coin collecting community nor who the top 3 or 4 dealers that usually bring such collectibles to public/auction...thanks
    Interested in higher grade vintage cards. Aren't we all. image
  • GrumpyEdGrumpyEd Posts: 4,749 ✭✭✭
    The coins looked worthy of selling at least some as shipwreck coins with a big markup but they say they already melted them:


    Already melted!
    Ed
  • hchcoinhchcoin Posts: 4,829 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I love stories like this. Thanks!
  • hchcoinhchcoin Posts: 4,829 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Interesting .... would make a great movie.

    more info on the survivors >>



    Wow, it is amazing what the human body can endure when it has no other option and the will to live is so strong.
  • element159element159 Posts: 512 ✭✭✭


    << <i>I'm also curious as to why the coins were being transported in such bulk by sea, does anyone know if that was pretty much common practice to do of that volume, and by sea? >>


    Well, at the time, there was hardly any alternative! Shipping by sea is most always much cheaper than other methods, and if somebody had wanted to ship them by land or air, well, there was this war going on most everywhere between India and the UK. Even if it were possible to make some extremely circuitous air route (and it was probably impossible at the time, aircraft ranges were too short, being that all the stops one would need were occupied by the Axis), the air capacity was surely much more desperately needed for something more important.
  • TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 44,294 ✭✭✭✭✭
    What a vast place…
    … the ocean Sunken Treasures is about right.
    But seekers of them ? Now that would be a mighty fun gig.
Sign In or Register to comment.