NumismaTalks Live Webinar

Small Change on the Ship of Gold

November 13, 2025, 12pm MT

The treasure of the SS Central America (sank Sept 12, 1857) is mostly known for its large, historical gold bars and boxes of Double Eagles. But an important story lies within the money of smaller denominations, the California Fractional Currency, the silver coinage, and the lower denomination gold, some of it found in spectacular mint-state condition. This NumismaTalk will explore the occurrence and distribution of this “small change” on the shipwreck site, and show how the numismatics illustrates this singular period in the nation’s history, the California Gold Rush, and the changing face of American money in the mid-19th century.

Bob Evans is the co-discoverer of the shipwreck site of the gold-rush era treasure ship SS Central America, which sank in 1857 with the greatest lost treasure in United States history. He is well-known in the numismatic world as the chief scientist and historian of the project that recovered the lost treasure, including tons of gold ingots and coins, from the bottom of the Atlantic, 7,200 feet down. Since its discover and recovery in the late 1980s, Evans has been the curator of the treasure, and an author of several articles and essays, including award-winning studies published in The Numismatist. Bob enjoys sharing discoveries, as he continues to research the stories found within the shipwreck and its treasure, a fascinating deep-sea time capsule.