Divers have recovered over 1,000 coins from a shipwreck off the east coast of Florida. The coins were discovered this summer within the historical "Treasure Fleet" of Spanish ships that sank in July 1715, when hundreds of sailors and over $400 million worth of gold and silver disappeared into the ocean.
In a statement, representatives for 1715 Fleet - Queens Jewels, a shipwreck salvage company authorized to dive to the wrecks, wrote that they had recovered more than 1,000 silver reales (also called "pieces of eight") and five gold escudos, along with other rare gold artifacts. Both types of coin were common currency in the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
"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," Sal Guttuso, director of operations for 1715 Fleet - Queens Jewels, said in the statement. "Finding 1,000 of them in a single recovery is both rare and extraordinary."
The coins were most likely minted in the Spanish colonies of Mexico, Peru and Bolivia, according to the statement. Some have mint marks and visible dates, and their excellent condition suggests that they were part of a single collection that spilled and were quickly buried when one of the ships broke apart.
The 1715 fleet, also known as the "Plate Fleet," had been loaded with coins and other products from Spanish colonies, and the 12 ships set sail from Cuba on their annual trip back to Spain on July 24. After a few days of sailing, the fleet encountered an intense hurricane off the east coast of Florida. Eleven ships sank, and their remains were scattered over a span of 50 miles (80 kilometers). Some of the treasure was recovered soon after the disaster, but much of it remained under the ocean for centuries.
"Every find helps piece together the human story of the 1715 fleet," Guttuso said. The coins will be conserved and displayed to the public at local museums, according to the statement.
Exploration of the 1715 shipwrecks has produced other impressive finds over the past decade. In 2015, divers found an extremely rare Spanish coin called a "tricentennial royal" that had been minted for King Philip V of Spain, along with nearly $1 million worth of gold coins and gold chains. But that team, headed by Eric Schmitt of Booty Salvage, failed to report 50 coins they found in the shipwreck. Local authorities working with the FBI managed to recover most of the stolen coins in 2024.
Various treasures from the wrecked fleet are likely still hidden under the ocean. The fleet was said to be carrying jewels belonging to Philip V's second wife as part of her dowry, including a 74-carat emerald ring and 14-carat pearl earrings.
Under Florida law, removal of artifacts from shipwrecks is illegal unless a permit is secured. 1715 Fleet - Queens Jewels has exclusive rights to dive at the wrecks.
