Lot 1903

Description

George V, sovereign, 1912 (S.3996), with 'Certificate of Origin' stating that it was recovered from the sunken P&O Liner Egypt during the 1930s. Toned very fine.

Ex P.J.Downie Pty Ltd, March 1989, with their original listing offer.

The 8,000 ton P&O Liner Egypt departed Tilbury bound for Marseilles and Bombay. When she encountered dense fog her engines were stopped and at this time she was struck midships by the 1,383 ton French Steamship Seine. As a result, on 20 May 1922 the Egypt sank in sixty fathoms deep water near Ushant, a French island at the south-west end of the English Channel, taking the lives of 71 of her 294 crew and 15 of her 44 passengers and also a cargo of £1,054,000 in gold and silver. The first recovery started in June 1929 with the majority of the gold and silver recovered over a five year period by the Italian Society for Marine Recovery using newly patented equipment.