The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

PREV ARTICLE       NEXT ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V16 2013 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 16, Number 30, July 21, 2013, Article 22

1715 TREASURE FLEET COINS FOUND OFF FLORIDA COAST

CNN reported on a find of Spanish gold coins in six feet of water just 100 feet from the Florida shore. -Editor

1715 gold coin find "Constantly searching for a needle in a haystack" is what Brent Brisben says he does for a living, and on days like Saturday, the payoff makes the work worthwhile.

Brisben owns the 1715 Treasure Fleet Queen's Jewels salvage company. This weekend, he and his crew of three found quite a few "needles" in their oceanic "haystack" -- 48 gold coins that date back 300 years, to be exact.

The coins, called escudos, were part of the treasure aboard a fleet of 11 Spanish galleons wrecked by a hurricane off the Florida coast on July 31, 1715. It was this famous shipwreck that gave this part of Florida its nickname, The Treasure Coast.

The coins appear to be in good condition, and still have some legible dates and markings. The oldest bears the date 1697; the youngest is dated 1714. The 48 coins have an estimated value of $200,000 to $250,000, said Brisben. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the expedition is that the coins were found just 100 feet from the shoreline, in only six feet of water.

Though Brisben admits his work is exciting, he says it's not like you see in the movies. "You may expect to see a big galleon on its side with treasure chests overflowing, but it's not like that at all," he said.

"With shipwrecks that old, most of the organic material like the actual wood of the ship is gone, due to deterioration. What's left are mostly metals and pottery... china, silver buckles, bronze cannons and gold coins."

To read the complete article, see: Gold! $250K in centuries-old coins found (www.cnn.com/2013/07/14/us/florida-treasure-found/index.html)

Dick Hansom forwarded an article from The Daily Mail with several great pictures. Be sure to read the whole thing online. -Editor

Florida treasure coin

Florida treasure coins

To read the complete article, see: Divers find $250,000 in gold coins among the wrecks of 11 Spanish ships that sank off Florida coast 300 years ago (www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2364165/250-000-gold-coins-discovered-ruins-11-Spanish-ships-wrecked-Florida-coast-300-years-ago.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

Google
 
NBS (coinbooks.org) Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum

PREV ARTICLE       NEXT ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V16 2013 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

Copyright © 1998 - 2020 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS)
All Rights Reserved.

NBS Home Page
Contact the NBS webmaster
coin