In 1857 , on the heels of the Gold Rush , theS.S. Central Americaleft Panama and sailed for New York with 30,000 pounds of California gold . A hurricane sent that treasure ( and hundreds of the ship ’s passengers ) to the bottom of the ocean off the seashore of South Carolina , lost until the shipwreck ’s discovery in 1988 . After 30 years , we finally have the luck to see the riches in southern California , consort to theAP .
After years ofcontroversiallegalbattlesto determine who could arrogate the gem , in 2000 , Tommy Thompson — who made the discovery — sold his portion of the Au to the California Gold Marketing Group for $ 50 million . The haul included 532 gold Browning automatic rifle and one thousand of atomic number 79 coins . Benjamin Thompson wasarrestedin 2015 after stiffing gobs of investors who bet on his treasure hunt , none of whom saw a dime .
Those investors lastly buzz off some of their money back when the California Gold Marketing Group pay $ 30 million for more of the loot work up from the wreckage in 2014 . Now , that gold up for sales event , and even those who ca n’t give to corrupt 19th - hundred amber can take a peek at it . The 3100 Au coins , 45 amber bars , and 80 pounds of gilded dust on presentation at the Long Beach Convention Center in February will give the world a rarefied glimpse of treasure that expend more than 130 years sitting 7000 feet beneath the sea ’s Earth’s surface .
Before that can encounter , geologist Bob Evans , who took part in the original 1988 delegacy that located the shipwreck , has to clean off the rust and other sediment that encrusted the Au while it sat submerged . The gold on display was recovered during a2014 diveto the shipwreck . grant to the California Gold Marketing Group , a individual coin could sell for as much as $ 1 million , thanks to its uncommon and historic nature .
you’re able to see the Au in Long Beach between February 22 and 24 , and if you dare , call on some of it .
[ h / tCNBC ]
