USS Charleston

[aptbigdivebud]

I have several coins and a broken Eva Le Gallienne matchstick holder (1899) and egg holder with a turquoise stone embedded on it that came from the shipwreck of USS Charleston, can anyone help me out in assessing the value of these, i'm planning to sell it. I also have coins that came from an unidentified chinese shipwreck. Just check out the attached photos.

Thanks,

aptbigdivebud

 

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[ScubaDude]

aptbigdivebud,
Welcome to the forum.

The USS Charleston is/was a US warship, and the artifacts are still considered federal property no matter whose waters they may lie in. They have taken people and artifacts to court in the past and won. You might consider looking for another wreck.

 

[pcolaboy]

I second Brad's notion. A US warship lost to a mishap is never officially decommissioned and is therefore still US Navy property. However, there are forms that you can obtain from the Dept. of the Navy to get permission to salvage.

My partner is working on a permit now with the Navy and so far they have only stipulated that any personal effects from the crew would be returned to the Navy. However, the warship I'm talking about is much older than yours and not much left of it.

I will try to find the link for the form and post it for you.

Pcolaboy

 

[pcolaboy]

Hmmmm...I guess I should have done more research on this wreck before I posted earlier. It appears the US Navy isn't too worried about this wreck since it has been looted for years. It sank off the coast of the Phillipines in 1899 after striking a reef.

In just a few minutes of googling this wreck, I found several dealers selling coins similar to yours.

Go for it!

Pcolaboy