The coins and other treasures, possibly worth $400 million in all, remain on the sea floor amid the wreckage of 11 ships sunken while traveling from Havana, Cuba to Spain in 1715, the report said.
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Except this one’s worth a whopping $4.5 million.
Treasure hunting is a popular activity in the waters around Florida.The discovery is the second major find by treasure hunters in recent months.
1715 Fleet-Queen Jewels, LLC holds the salvage rights to the wreckage.
The ships had hundreds of gold coins on board, including nine “Royals”, which were specifically made for Philip V, then king of Spain.
Only 20 such coins were known to exist prior to the recovery of the nine royals, Brisben said.
Bartlett was part of a three-man crew aboard Brisben’ boat S/V Capitana when it found coins in shallow waters off Vero Beach, Florida, on July 30.
“Not only to have these incredible artifacts come up with their great value, but to have it actually happen on the 300th anniversary is really something I can’t articulate”, Brisben said Wednesday on “CBS This Morning”.
Some 350 gold coins were sifted from the Florida seabed on July 30 and 31 – just days after the announcement of an earlier discovery was made.
For beachgoers who stumble upon treasure, it’s “finder’s keepers”, Brisben said, but out in the water, the only legal way to uncover history is through his organization.
The bounty comes from a Spanish treasure ship which sank during a hurricane in the 18th century.
Hunters like Bartlett typically work under contract with the company, which grants them a percentage of their find after the state of Florida exercises its right to 20 percent of the haul.
Almost 1,000 people died in the wrecks and another 1,500 swam to shore.
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He speculated that “just beyond the breaking waves must lay one of the long forgot treasure ships of 1715”.
