1715 Fleet Salvors Recover $1M in Coins

Salvors from 1715 Fleet–Queens Jewels recovered 1,051 silver Reales and five gold Escudos this summer off Florida’s Treasure Coast in a haul the company estimates at about $1 million. The coins are believed to come from the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet that sank in a hurricane on July 31, 1715—an event that scattered an estimated $400 million in New World treasure and killed hundreds. Many coins bear visible dates and mint marks indicating mints in Spanish colonies such as Mexico, Peru and Bolivia, and their condition suggests they may have come from a single spilled chest. The recovery was announced by Capt. Levin Shavers aboard the M/V Just Right working for Queens Jewels, which asserts exclusive salvage rights; recovered artifacts are subject to legal claims in U.S. District Court and by the state of Florida, which typically retains roughly 20% of archaeological materials with the remainder divided among salvors. Salvors and officials say the coins will be conserved, studied and some pieces are expected to go on public display.