Tampa, Florida. 

I was having lunch recently with a man who has spent twelve years of his life on a quest - some would call it an obsession - to uncover a king's ransom in gold and silver. A fortune that disappeared into the black, uncharted depths of the Atlantic 140 years ago.

With his well-trimmed beard and rugged features, Greg Stemm indeed looks the part of a sea-going adventurer, a man who could spend years researching historical records, hand-pick a crew and painstakingly scour thousands of square miles of ocean floor. He has a quick smile,
contagious enthusiasm, and a bandage on his hand from a boating mishap the previous
weekend.

TREASURES MEN DREAM ABOUT:
A LOST CARGO OF PRECIOUS U.S. COINS

Over appetizers we discussed the astounding artifacts Greg brought up from the wreck of the SS Republic, some of which I've just seen on display in the offices of his firm, Odyssey Marine Exploration.

Incredible finds such as a perfume bottle, still sealed, a personal possession of one of the lady passengers the day the ship went down on October 25, 1865. Then there are the 19 white porcelain angels. No one knows why they were on board the ship, but the angels miraculously appeared as Odyssey's Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), ZEUS, carefully lifted them from the muddy bottom of the sea.

Of course, all discussion about the SS Republic inevitably turns to the real reason why men have been searching relentlessly for it: The cargo of precious U.S. coins. We're talking about barrels packed full of early U.S. silver half dollars, all bound for New Orleans to rebuild the South after the Civil War.

OVER $600,000 FOR ONE SS REPUBLIC COIN

The release of SS Republic coins has been one of the biggest events of the last two years, drawing front-page headlines and international coverage. You may have seen or heard about them while reading National Geographic magazine or watching the National Geographic special on PBS. To say that the world's top rare coin dealers beat a path to Greg's door would be an understatement. Demand for these spectacular Civil War era coins has been frenzied, with individual rarities already bringing more than $600,000 apiece!

I knew some fantastic coins had been released. Yet one question puzzled me: What remained in their vault, still unseen by the public? Odyssey had been secretive about exactly which coins had been brought up; the full list had not been revealed. Dealers were offered carefully selected packets of coins, much as DeBeers offers packets of diamonds to its clientele. What was Greg holding back?

ARM TWISTING OVER LUNCH

As we finished lunch, I seized the moment to pose the allimportant question. "Greg, my customers have purchased millions of dollars of SS Republic coins from you. Now, I'd like access to your vault, to hand pick a special group of coins for them. Would you do this for me?"

I held my breath as he hesitated for a moment. I could see the wheels turning in his mind. "Nick, we haven't done that for anyone. What you're asking me to do is give you 'the pick of the litter', so to speak. Why should I do that?"

"You should do it because we've become one of your most trusted distributors," I replied. "And, because I'm buying lunch!"

Greg chuckled for a moment. I'm not sure if he was reacting to my audacious request, or my attempt at a joke. Again he hesitated, then looked me in the eye. "Okay, I'll authorize access to Odyssey's vault, to the full inventory."

"You can take your pick," he continued. "But you need to know something."

I could feel my heart pounding with some combination of thrill and dread. "What is it?"

"We've sold so many of our coins," he began. "At this point, for many of them, we're down to a handful. In some cases, there's just one or two left that haven't been reserved for study and museum displays as part of Odyssey's Permanent SS Republic Collection. So because of this, the prices are being raised. You certainly know how strong the coin market is. We just can't let them go anymore at prices we set almost two years ago."

THE BIG PRICE PROBLEM

I knew he was right. We're in the middle of the hottest coin market since 1978. Yet, my mandate is to put these coins in our customers' hands at the absolute best prices. "Look Greg, I understand. What you're saying makes sense. But you haven't actually published your new prices yet, right? What if I commit to a purchase today, on the spot? I'd be 'under the wire,' right?"

I grinned back at him.

More hesitation. Now I was starting to sweat; I was fresh out of reasons why he should let me "cherry pick" the very best of these fabulous rarities at yesterday's prices. "Okay, let's do it now,' he said. "We'll go back to the company and I'll authorize you to access our vault and take your pick. But… you have to do this today. If I sleep on this, I'll probably come to my senses and say 'NO'."

WHAT I FOUND INSIDE ODYSSEY'S VAULT

My excitement at holding these incredible pieces of American history could only be exceeded by the thrill Greg Stemm's team experienced the day they discovered them on the ocean floor.

Finding Civil War and pre-Civil War U.S. silver half dollars in a shipwreck at the bottom of the Atlantic is extremely rare. More important, the condition of these coins is breathtaking. I've seen silver recovered from early French, Dutch, British and Spanish ships. None of them had the original luster and superb detail of these U.S. Mint half-dollars.

Rare as they are, upon closer examination I discovered a number of these coins were even rarer varieties that can multiply their collector value… errors made by the die-maker, which were then struck into the coin. I found incredible "double die" coins, with the date double stamped; "over-dates," in which a new date is stamped over the previous year (1855 over 1854); even coins where part of the date was stamped into the wrong part of the coin! (What were these mint employees drinking when they did this?!) Now you can be the very first person to own them since they were lost at sea over 140 years ago.

PERSONALLY SELECTED FROM THE VAULT
- AT YESTERDAY'S PRICES - JUST FOR YOU!

I bought a mind-blowing selection of U.S. silver from Odyssey's vault - every single one at prices BELOW what everyone else will soon be paying (if they could even get these coins, which in most cases they cannot)! I don't have the space to list every one, but I will cite an extraordinary coin I found at a "hold the phone!" price.

To reserve it right now or hear about the other SS Republic rarities we've obtained, call now toll free 1-800-222-3891 (and mention Special Offer Code AGRSRP). All are subject to quick sell-out so don't wait.

1859-O "9 in Border" HALF DOLLAR DISCOVERY

As I methodically examined each coin from the SS Republic treasure, I suddenly came upon a coin I've never, in 32 years, seen before: An 1859 New Orleans "O" Mint Seated Liberty silver half dollar with the numeral "9" in the date double struckinto the coin. Such an error happens when the die maker strikes the date numerals into the die improperly, then has to reposition them. A quick check of authentication service records revealed that besides these coins from the SS Republic, NONE had ever been certified by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America (NGC)! Yet here I was, looking at a small cache of them.

Die errors are important to collectors. They can literallymultiply the value of a coin. For example, an 1844-O half dollar with doubled date is worth seven times the value of the regular coin. So I immediately bought the entire cache of 1859-O "9 in Border" halves and reserved them for our readers. But I haven't revealed the best part of this deal…

For a 150-year old U.S. rarity, of which no previous examples have been previously certified by the leading authentication services, you should reasonably expect to pay a large premium over a regular coin. Yet because of our exclusive negotiations with Odyssey, while they last you can own this 1859-O "9 in Border" for just $995 - the lowest price we've ever offered for an SS Republic coin!

We are the only source for this rare coin, and when they're gone at this fantastic price, they're gone forever. Once this exclusive offer is completed, if any coins are left we will price them at $1,495.

So don't miss out on this sensational discovery, Call toll-free right now…

1-800-222-3891

…and request Special Offer AGRSRP, for the SS Republic 1859-O "9 in Border" Half Dollar for $995 (plus S&H).

Sincerely,

Nicholas J. Bruyer, CEO
First Federal Coin Corp.

ABOUT THE CEO: Nicholas Bruyer is an award-winning professional numismatist with 32 years of coin market experience. His firm is the U.S. agency for the British Royal Mint. Since 1985, tens of thousands of satisfied customers have acquired over $325 million in coins from First Federal Coin Corp. and its parent company. Past performance is not an indicator of future performance.

P.S. Read on to learn the fascinating history of the SS Republic…

TOO FANTASTIC FOR HOLLYWOOD:
THE TRUE-LIFE SAGA OF THE SS REPUBLIC

When it sank in 1865, the SS Republic reportedly carried with it $400,000 face value in U.S. gold and silver coins.

Today coin experts believe this submerged cache of coins could be the most valuable sunken treasure ever found.

Launched in 1853, the SS Republic was a sidewheel steamship that transported prospectors to the gold fields of California. In 1861, she was captured by Rebel troops in

New Orleans and pressed into service by the Confederate navy. She fell into Union hands a year later and was converted into a well-armed fighting machine for the Union Navy. After the war, the SS Republic was sold to private investors and returned to commercial service.

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE SS REPUBLIC

On October 18, 1865, she left New York bound for New Orleans with 90 passengers and crew. On October 23, a storm blew in off the Georgia coast, becoming a 'perfect hurricane' by evening. The next day passengers and crew were ordered to throw the cargo overboard. Block tins, liquor, dry goods, vegetables, tobacco, oil, varnish, white lead - anything people could get their hands on was thrown over the side - everything except the gold and silver coins!

On the afternoon of October 25, four lifeboats and a makeshift raft barely escaped the sinking ship. Three lifeboats were rescued within two days. The fourth was rescued four days later!

HISTORIC COINS FOUND AFTER A 12-YEAR SEARCH

The recovery of coins and other artifacts from the SS Republic is the culmination of searching more than 1,500 square miles over 12 years. Odyssey Marine Exploration searched more than 1,000 square miles of ocean floor in 2002 and 2003 alone. In 2003, Odyssey discovered the prize that represented every explorer's dream. Using side-scan sonar technology and high-tech deep ocean robots, the SS Republic was seen for the first time since she disappeared under the waves in 1865. After an archaeological pre-disturbance survey, the first coins were brought to the surface in late 2003. Now, you can actually own the bounty of this amazing quest.

AN ERA OF GROWTH AND CHANGE
SETS THE STAGE FOR THE CIVIL WAR

Save for the American Revolution, there is no more important era in American history than that during which these coins were struck. The decade preceding the American Civil War was a time of tremendous growth and change in the United States. Northern politicians were opposed to extending slavery into new territories west of the Mississippi River.

Southern politicians held that slavery should be allowed to follow the flag into new territories and new states.

Texas and Florida entered the union as slave states in 1845. Iowa entered as a free state in 1846 and Wisconsin as a free state in 1848. Oregon was organized as a territory without slavery. Workers digging for gold in the new free state of California did not want competition from slaves and they did not want to be seen doing the same work as slaves.

During this time, New Orleans was the financial center of the South, and the U.S. Mint at New Orleans produced gold and silver coins there, bearing the 'O' mint mark. Perhaps the most thrilling part of the historic SS Republic treasure is the discovery of original New Orleans 'O' mint mark silver half dollars dating from before the outbreak of the Civil War.

A small cache of these valuable coins is offered
exclusively through this special offer.

HURRY, LIMITED QUANTITIES AVAILABLE!

Call Toll-FREE today

1-800-222-3891

Mention Special Offer Code: AGRSRP
to Reserve Your Coin from the SS Republic Shipwreck