Florida treasure hunters (USA) have recovered more than 200 silver coins from the seabed in Sebastian, town of the so-called Treasure Coast, so called for its proximity to the place of the 11 Spanish shipwrecks in 1715.
Mike Penninger, 71, and his team of divers found more than 200 coins during the dives they made between May and June in front of the Sebastian inlet, on the east coast of Florida, a treasure that with all likelihood is from the ships of the so-called Spanish Silver Fleet from 1715.
In the early morning hours of July 31 of that year, 11 ships of the Spanish fleet, which was returning to Cádiz, succumbed to the force of a hurricane that left a tragic panorama: 1,000 bodies lying on the beach, another 1,500 survivors left to their fate and a cargo of gold, silver, jewels, and spices under the sea.
Some of the gold, silver, and other objects scattered on the seabed were recovered after the storm, but historians and treasure hunters believe that millions of dollars in silver and gold remain at the bottom of the sea.
After 30 years as a treasure hunter, Penninger already believed his days of searching for shipwrecks had ended. About to retire from marine exploration, he and his crew found tens of Spanish coins from this 18th-century shipwreck, according to The Washington Post.
Although the silver coins appear blackened, covered with crust, and very rusted, with discolored engravings and sharp edges, Penninger and the crew recognized that it was a valuable find.
In the rescue of the coins, two subcontracted divers also intervened for the 1715 Fleet – Queen’s Jewels LLC, the company based in Sebastian appointed custody and exclusive rescue company of the shipwreck by the United States District Courts, which are responsible for supervising the distribution of the artifacts found in U.S. territory.
The find will be distributed between the company and the State by the U.S. district courts.
So far the value of the coins is unknown, partly because they have not yet been restored after a stay of centuries at the bottom of the ocean, said the aforementioned newspaper.
Four thousand lithographic stones: the discovery of a treasure in Havana
Penninger discovered rare pieces in his treasure-hunting years, such as a golden ring studded with a large Colombian emerald and large pieces of worked silver.
The recovered coins were part of the treasure transported by the fleet of 11 Spanish ships that had gathered in Havana and were shipwrecked off the coast of Florida in July 1715, after being hit by a hurricane, according to the U.S. organization 1715 Fleet Society.
