An incredible amount of silver and gold coins have been found over 300 years after a Spanish fleet sank off Florida’s Treasure Coast.
Captain Levin Shavers and the crew of salvage company M/V Just Right discovered more than 1,000 silver coins and five gold coins in the remains of the 1715 Treasure Fleet shipwreck over the summer, and those riches are now worth over $1 million, KCBD reported on Wednesday.
A hurricane hit the Treasure Fleet on July 31, 1715, which caused it to lose the New World riches it was transporting back to Spain.
Per the 1715 Treasure Fleet’s website:
The coins, known as pieces of eight, were minted in the Spanish colonies of Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia. Many still bear visible dates and mint marks, making them important to historians and collectors alike.
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The discovery site lies within a stretch of ocean often referred to as Florida’s “Treasure Coast,” where modern salvage operations —working under strict state oversight and archaeological guidelines — continue to uncover relics from the ill-fated fleet.
Shavers, who is widely respected in his field and has a passion for history, archaeology, and paleontology, said of the discovery, “The best way I can describe it is if you lose something you really, really like and you’ve almost come to terms with it just never being found again, and then, all of a sudden, it shows up. It’s just such an awesome feeling.”
An image shows the treasure after it had been cleaned:
According to experts, the coins appear to have been in one chest or shipment that spilled when the ship was torn apart during the storm.
“The recovered coins will undergo careful conservation before being displayed to the public. Plans are underway for select pieces to be exhibited at local museums, offering both Floridians and visitors a chance to witness firsthand the treasures of Florida’s maritime past,” the 1715 Treasure Fleet’s website read.
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