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HERITAGE AUGUST 2026 SHIPWRECK AUCTIONHeritage Auctions will be hosting their Shipwreck & Treasures Showcase Auction on August 9. Select items are discussed below. -Garrett 
Charles & Johanna "Golden Fleece Shipwreck" silver Splash ingot of 567gm ND (c. 1550), 190x141x2mm. 566.99gm. XRF scan: 99%. A gorgeous Splash ingot, shimmering and possessing an interesting shape. The crude splash ingots were made by pouring the molten silver directly to a depression made in sand. Often, on one side, these bars show protrusions due to the silver cooling down by the end of the pour.
According to consignor, salvaged from the Golden Fleece
shipwreck Due to the crudeness of these ingots, the XRF analysis is an average result from the several scans done in different areas of the item
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Utrecht. Provincial "Hollandia" Lion Daalder 1617 VF Details (Saltwater Damage) NGC, KM15, Dav-4863. Accompanied by COA #0541. Salvaged from the "Hollandia" (sunk in 1627 off the Bay of All Saints, Brazil). This piece is sure to appeal to collectors who value historical significance as highly as rarity. This selection was recovered from the "earlier" Hollandia, commanded by Admiral Piet Pieterszoon Hein, one of the Netherlands' most celebrated naval heroes. This consists of a solid representative of this seldom-seen Brazil-origin shipwreck. Piet Pietersen Heyn (1577-1629) remains one of the Netherlands' greatest naval heroes, celebrated for his daring leadership during the Dutch struggle against Spain and Portugal in the Eighty Years' War. A Dutch admiral and privateer for the Dutch Republic, he is best known for capturing the Spanish Silver Fleet in 1628-a victory that provided the Dutch Republic with immense financial resources-Heyn also played a pivotal role in Dutch operations along the Brazilian coast. Part of the Dutch West India Company, the Hollandia was the flagship of a fleet of 12 ships. During the Battle of the Bay of All Saints near Brazil in 1627, Piet Heyn attacked a fleet in the bay, capturing nearly all 22-25 of them, along with their cargo of cotton, sugar, and tobacco. The Hollandia ran aground during this battle and took fire, allowing the rest of Hein's fleet to make their escape.
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Republic gold "S.S. Brother Jonathan" 20 Dollars 1861-S AU50 PCGS, San Francisco mint, KM74.1. Inventory recovery number #129, Series #70, Coin #32. Liberty Head / Double Eagle type. Salvaged from the S.S. Brother Jonathan (sunk in 1865 off the coast of Crescent City, California). An extremely desirable example recovered from the deadliest shipwreck up to that time on the Pacific Coast of the United States. On the morning of July 13th, 1865, the S.S. Brother Jonathan, carrying over 200 passengers and a large amount of gold, set sail in stormy conditions. Upon realizing the intensity of the situation, the captain attempted to return pack to port, however not long after the ship struck a rock, tearing a large hole in the hull. Despite the captain's order to abandon the ship only eleven lives were saved. The cargo consisted of jewelry, gold coins, and gold bars, yet remarkably little has been recovered despite more than a century of salvage efforts. Discovered in 1993 and successfully salvaged beginning in 1996, the S.S. Brother Jonathan yielded just 1,207 gold coins, the vast majority being $20 Liberty Double Eagles.
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Philip III gold Escudo 1608-C MS62 NGC, Segovia mint, KM29, Fr-194, Cal-61. Two-year type. Obverse lettering PHILIP9. Gorgeously-preserved gold Escudo and one of the first issues of Spain that was struck using modern minting methods. This Near-Choice example bears the intriguing PHILIP9 legend, only struck in 1607 and 1608. This is certainly a piece for the discerning collector.
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The Rooswijk was an 850-ton cargo ship that set sail from Holland with the Dutch East India Company's Christmas Fleet on January 8, 1739. This was supposed to be its second voyage to the Dutch Indies under Captain Dan Ronzieres, but it was caught by a storm only one day into its voyage. The Rooswijk was hammered into a shallow sand bar and thus lost by the Dutch for over 265 years. In 2004, a Cambridgeshire carpenter was diving on Goodwin Sands and spotted an old wooden wreck complete with intact crates. In the crates, he proceeded to uncover Mexican silver coins, V.O.C ingots, and other historical artifacts. Throughout the next year, an archeological salvage team recovered and identified the lost treasure of the Rooswijk. An estimated 20,000 silver and gold coins, rare Pillar Dollars of Mexico City (1720s-1730s), Cob "Pieces of Eight" (8 Reales), Klippes (1733-1734), silver bars, and other artifacts were successfully salvaged from the site. Today, the Rooswijk is now a protected historical wreck site under United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Dutch legislation that has prevented further salvaging from occurring. These silver bars originate from a fascinating era of global
commerce when Dutch demand for Asian goods was exceptionally
strong. However, the Dutch had relatively few products that Asian
markets desired in return. What was consistently in demand,
however, was precious metal-particularly gold and silver.
Throughout the 18th century, the VOC (Dutch East India Company)
conducted regular voyages between Europe and Asia, transporting
silver eastward to facilitate trade and returning to Amsterdam with
valuable commodities acquired across the region for sale in
European markets.
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Philip V gold "1715 Fleet" Cob 8 Escudos ND (1714) Mo-J MS62 NGC, Mexico City mint, KM57.3, Cal-2212, Fr-6. 26.75gm. Date on Reverse type. Salvaged from the "1715 Fleet" shipwrecks (sunk off Florida's Treasure Coast). A piece that stuns in terms of preservation and historical intrigue. The reverse bears a specific design confirm that this is the desirable and short-lived "date on reverse" type. However this piece is propelled further by its enchanting MS62 grade, which can easily be confirmed after one glance of this sharply struck designs and notable sheen. On July 30th, 1715, a Spanish treasure fleet, which would later be famously known as the 1715 Fleet, encountered a hurricane that claimed a sizable portion of its galleons and crew. A reported 1,000 lives and 14 million pesos were lost, including an equal amount of treasure in contraband. It's hard to estimate the value lost when measured in today's currency, but one can imagine the extensive caliber of cargo when considering the convoy was a combination of two different fleets: the Nueva España Fleet, which got stuck in Veracruz for two years before it could join the Tierra Firme Fleet. After more delays in Havana, a 12-13 ship convoy left with an enormous amount of accumulated cargo, never to reach Spain. The Spaniards salvaged the wreck for a few years afterwards, recovering nearly half of the official cargo from shallow-water wreck sites. Modern salvaging began when Florida resident Kip Wagner found a "piece of eight" at a beach after a hurricane and was intrigued by its origins. With old maps, metal detectors, a small plane, and a permit from the state of Florida, Wagner located wreck sites and artifacts, ultimately putting together a team of archeologists, divers, and investors. This was the beginning of the Real Eight Company. As the Real Eight team combed the seabed with suction machines, they found jewels, emeralds, Chinese porcelain, silverware, and gold & silver ingots. Furthermore, they found as many as 10,000 gold Cobs and over 100,000 silver Cobs. These huge discoveries uncovered yet-unknown numismatic pieces and ultimately made rare gold Cobs "common" (though still very high-end for collectors). The salvaged coins were mainly from Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, minted primarily between 1711 and 1715, although numerous earlier pieces from the 1600's were also recovered. As modern salvaging continues in these underwater sites, we expect many more exciting discoveries to be made, including the recovery of the last five or six ships that have yet to be found.
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