Hidden under a turquoise water from a stretch in Florida known as the “Treasure Coast,” a team of divers from a shipwreck rescue company revealed just that.
More than 1,000 silver and gold coins thought to be covered in Spanish colonies in Bolivia, Mexico and Peru were discovered this summer off the Atlantic Coast of Florida, the 1715 Fleet – Queen’s Jewels LLC.
It’s not the first time this site has produced a herd of treasures.
Centuries ago, according to the Fleet Association in 1715, when the hurricane spilled treasures into the sea on July 31, 1715, when the hurricane destroyed Frotira, a fleet of Spanish ships loaded with gold, silver and jewels photographed from the New World returned to Spain.
Over the years, millions of dollars of gold coins from the 1715 fleet have been discovered by salvers and treasure hunters in the coastal region ranging from Melbourne to Fort Pierce.
The date and mint marks are still visible in some of the coins recently recovered. This is the benefit of historians and collectors who want to collect more from lost treasures.
“The discovery is not just about the treasure itself, but about the story it tells,” Sal Gutsso, operations director at Salvage, said in a statement. “Each coin is part of history and is a concrete link to those who lived, worked and sailed in the Golden Age of the Spanish Empire. It is rare and extraordinary to find 1,000 people in one recovery.”
Guttuso’s team employs a fleet of diving crews and boats, combing the seabed using hand-fanning sand or sand suction in addition to underwater metal detection devices.
Last year, Florida officials announced they had recovered dozens of gold coins stolen from a shipwreck by rescuers. The suspect was identified as the family of a team contracted to work on the site by the 1715 Fleet – Queen’s Jewels LLC.
Under Florida law, “treasures” or other historic artifacts belong to the state, which are “abandoned” in state land or state waters, but excavators can perform “recovery services.” The law requires that approximately 20% of the recovered archaeological material be retained by the state for research collections or public displays.
Guttuso told The Associated Press that his team will develop detailed inventory of all artifacts collected in each season and be reviewed by the state. Florida officials will select up to 20% of items to maintain for the public in a negotiation process that was ultimately approved by federal courts. The remaining artifacts are split equally between the owner of the salvage company and its subcontractors, Guttuso said.
“We want to do that right,” Gutsso said.
“And that benefits the people of Florida. They end up at the museum,” he said of the treasure.