Coin
collectors from all around collect for a variety of reasons. There is no one
reason as to why collectors find joy in collecting. Some of the reasons why
collectors enjoy coins are for their value, beauty, and historical meaning they
carry among many other reasons.
At the height
of World War II, the tension between Germany and the rest of the world had
become increasingly hostile. Even neutral ships were being attacked by the
German U-boats. One of those ships that were caught by the Germans was the S.S. Gairsoppa. The Gairsoppa was
similar to many of the cargo ships being used in the 1940s. Its medal structure
was a common element to find among ships. Nothing was out of the ordinary for
this ship until its last voyage in December of 1940 when it left off the coast
of India. The ship was carrying a great quantity of silver on board to its
destination across the Atlantic Ocean to Great Britain. The long voyage from
India was treacherous. The difficulty due to winds and rough currents at the
time of the trip caused the ship to not have enough fuel and have to reroute to
Galway, Ireland, a closer destination; however, the ship never arrived to
either of its destinations. On February 17, 1941, the ship was attacked and
sunk by a German U-boat along with the 14,000 pounds of silver on board ("SS
Gairsoppa - Historical Overview")(Craggs).
The boat’s
history does not end there. The ship was recently discovered off the coast of
Ireland. Not only was the ship found but also the many pounds of silver as
well. So, what does this mean for collectors who are interested in this silver?
Much of the silver was gathered from three miles below sea level and was melted
down into bars and coins for collectors to buy.
For
whatever reason that collectors like coins whether it be for the history,
beauty, or value, the silver bars and coins that came from the sunken ship seem
to encompass all of these reasons for collectors to buy. From places such as
Ebay, the silver bars sold over 1,600 ten ounce bars in just two hours. Their
value in the market has risen well over the silver spot already. This silver is
a reminder to our history as well as a thing of beauty.
Check back to my blog in a few weeks; I will be doing a
video showing the bar that I purchased. (This is not a paid endorsement; I truly
value this silver for its beauty and history. It’s a great addition to my
collection.)
For additional research on this topic check out:
If you have any questions or topics you would like me to
discuss in my upcoming blogs, feel free to email me:
webuycoincollections@gmail.com.
Works Cited
Craggs, Ryan.
"SS Gairsoppa Shipwreck Nets $38 Million In Silver (PHOTOS)."The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 July 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/ss-gairsoppa-shipwreck-38-million-silver_n_1683505.html#slide=1243164>.
"SS
Gairsoppa - Historical Overview." SS Gairsoppa - Historical
Overview. Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc., 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.shipwreck.net/ssgairsoppahistoricaloverview.php>
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