Treasure hunters have recovered over 1,000 silver and gold coins from a 1715 Spanish shipwreck off Florida’s Treasure Coast, with the total haul being valued at around $1 million.
The coins include silver reales and gold escudos, some bearing visible mint marks, and were discovered during salvage operations by 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels LLC.
The fleet originally ferrying the currency sank in a hurricane on July 31, 1715, while carrying precious cargo from the New World to Spain.
What happens next?
Per a blog post from Queen Jewels LCC, all of the recovered coinage will undergo “careful conservation” before going on public display at local museums and elsewhere.
A portion of the treasure discovered by the salvage company.
Under Florida law, artifacts found in state waters belong to the state, though licensed salvagers can recover and share a portion under permit.
“Each coin is a piece of history, a tangible link to the people who lived, worked, and sailed during the Golden Age of the Spanish Empire. Finding 1,000 of them in a single recovery is both rare and extraordinary,” Queen Jewels LCC director of operations, Sal Guttuso, said.
While extremely rare, hauls such as these aren’t unheard of. Previously, a lost pirate ship from 1721, ferrying over $100 million in treasure, was discovered off the coast of Madagascar, over 300 years after it disappeared.
