Excavators Find $1 Million in Gold Coins from Spanish Shipwreck
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Hidden beneath the turquoise waters off a stretch of Florida known as the “Treasure Coast,” a team of divers from a shipwreck salvage company have uncovered a load of long-lost Spanish treasure they estimate is worth $1 million.
More than 1,000 silver and gold coins thought to be minted in the Spanish colonies of Bolivia, Mexico and Peru were uncovered this summer off Florida’s Atlantic coast, 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels LLC announced this week.
Centuries ago, a fleet of Spanish ships laden with gold, silver and jewels taken from the New World was sailing back to Spain when a hurricane wrecked the flotilla on July 31, 1715, spilling the treasures into the sea, according to the 1715 Fleet Society.
Over the years, millions of dollars in gold coins from the 1715 Fleet have been found by salvagers and treasure hunters in a coastal area stretching from Melbourne to Fort Pierce, the AP reported.
Dates and mint marks are still visible on some of the recently recovered coins, the salvage company said, a benefit for historians and collectors hoping to glean more from the lost treasure.
Last year, Florida officials announced they had recovered dozens of gold coins stolen by salvagers from the wreck. The suspect was identified as a family member of the team contracted by 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels LLC to work the site.
