PREV ARTICLE
NEXT ARTICLE
FULL ISSUE
PREV FULL ISSUE
FIRST COINS RECOVERED FROM THE SAN JOSEThree coins and a cannon have been recovered from the wreck of the Spanish galleon San José. See the earlier article linked below for Peter Jones' compilation of significant events relating to the legendary 1708 ship. -Editor 
A cannon, three coins and a porcelain cup are among the first objects recovered by Colombian scientists from the depths of the Caribbean Sea where the legendary Spanish galleon San José sank in 1708 after being attacked by a British fleet. The recovery is part of a scientific investigation authorised by the government last year to study the wreckage and the causes of the sinking. Colombian researchers located the galleon in 2015, leading to legal and diplomatic disputes. Its exact location is a state secret. The San José was returning to Europe with treasures to help fund the war of the Spanish succession when it was sunk by a British squadron close to the Caribbean port city of Cartagena. 
Colombia's culture ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the cannon, coins and porcelain cup would undergo a conservation process at a laboratory dedicated to the expedition. The ship has been the subject of a legal battle in the US, Colombia and Spain over who owns the rights to the sunken treasure. Colombia is in arbitration litigation with Sea Search Armada, a group of US investors, for the economic rights of the San José. The firm claims $10bn, corresponding to what it assumes is 50% of the worth of the galleon treasure, which it claims to have discovered in 1982.
To read the complete article, see:
1715 Fleet Society President Ben Costello adds: "The coins found are Lima eight escudos. They are very similar to those found on the 1715 Fleet. We are having a speaker at our conference who has just written a book on the San Jose. Obviously our speaker will incorporate these new items into his presentation." The 1715 Fleet Society 2026 Conference & Meeting will be held January 12-14, 2026 at Indian River State College in Vero Beach, Florida. We'll have more information in an upcoming issue. See also https://1715fleetsociety.com/ . -Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
Wayne Homren, Editor 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: Subscribe All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
|