The half dollars were found on the SS Republic shipwreck and 77 of the coins show almost no trace of saltwater damage which is very rare for coins that have been shipped in wooden barrels and lost at sea for 140 years. Exactly 47,263 half dollars were recovered from the ship with many showing deteriorations and concreted together from the saltwater! This finding is believed to be the largest stash of Civil War-era coins to ever be discovered.
