TREASURE TALK WITH BEN COSTELLO: CHAPTER ONE

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V29 2026 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 29, Number 39, 2026, Article 16

An article on the Finest Known website opens a planned series with Ben Costello, President of the 1715 Fleet Society. Here's an excerpt - see the complete article online. -Editor

As Finest Known Treasure Talk with Bob Evans continues to share stories of history's greatest treasures, we are excited to broaden the series with contributions from respected experts throughout the treasure community. It is a genuine pleasure to introduce this inaugural feature by my friend and esteemed colleague, Ben Costello, President of the 1715 Fleet Society. Ben's enthusiasm for the 1715 Fleet, combined with years of dedicated research and collecting, shines through in his writing. I hope you'll enjoy the first chapter of his journey into one of history's most captivating treasure stories. I'm honored to share Ben's work with our readers and look forward to the chapters ahead.

-Adam Crum, President, Finest Known

My first encounter with the 1715 Fleet came in January 2004. I had only recently begun collecting shipwreck coins. As a lifelong student of history, I found the idea of owning coins that had rested on the ocean floor for centuries irresistible. I explored coins from several famous wrecks, but I had yet to discover a true collecting passion.

On its cover were two of the most beautiful gold coins I had ever seen. I was immediately captivated. I had to know their story, where they had come from, and why they had survived. Those questions led me to the 1715 Fleet.

Before the auction, I immersed myself in everything I could find about the Fleet and its tragic loss. I learned that the two featured coins had been struck at different Spanish colonial mints, one in Mexico City in 1714, the other in Lima, Peru, in 1712. The more I learned, the more I realized the 1715 Fleet represented everything I loved: history, adventure, tragedy, romance, and, of course, treasure.

Unable to attend the auction in Orlando, I arranged for an agent to bid on my behalf while we remained in constant contact by telephone. Together, we succeeded in acquiring both coins. That moment marked the beginning of what would become a lifelong passion.

Owning the coins only deepened my curiosity. I contacted the auction house seeking recommendations for books on the 1715 Fleet and was referred to Chicago book dealer Dave Crooks. During our conversation, Dave suggested I contact Frank Noga of the Cleveland area, whose extensive connections within the shipwreck community made him an invaluable resource.

Frank and I quickly became friends after meeting in August 2004. Through him I was introduced to Lou Ullian, an original member of the Real Eight Company, whose pioneering salvage operations recovered much of the 1715 Fleet treasure from the early 1960s through the mid-1970s. Suddenly, I found myself learning firsthand from individuals who had helped write the modern history of the Fleet.