Pieces of Eight [Shipwreck Treasure]

sabie

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	Pieces of Eight [Shipwreck Treasure] « on: May 28, 2010, 01:28:33 pm »

Seems a good as place as any to put some of our finds.

Items recovered from an East Indiaman off the Dorset Coast UK.
These 8 Reale coins were recovered either loose in the shale or encrusted in
concretion.

A number of these coins have been found over the years, most in poor condition.
Captured or pirated by the British, they were used as currency throughout the
world for their silver content.
Sabie

?   Silver 8 Reale. Recovered from a wreck site of an East Indiaman off the Dorset coast UK.
?   Dated: 1775.
?   Mint Mark: Seville. Assayer: C.F.
?   Weight: 27g.
?   Diameter: 38mm.
?   Obverse: Bust of Charles III facing right.
?   Reverse: Crowned Spanish Shield.
This 8 Reale coin is one of the better conditioned coins to be recovered from the wreck site. Also a rarity, as this coin was minted in Seville, Spain. Therefore there are no pillars on this coin, as with most of the 8 Reale coins. The majority of the coins recovered were minted in Mexico or other parts of South & Central America.
We can only summarize how these coins became part of the shipwreck treasure as there is no official record of the coins being part of the ships manifest and no record of any large amounts being salvaged. We assume that the owners of the ship or the East India Company purchased these coins from the Crown to use as payment for cargo or repairs etc on their journey to the East.
Central American silver was far superior to any of the UK's silver, therefore if traders were to be paid in silver they would prefer Central American silver.
Sabie.

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Sir!!... you've lost a lot of blood, but it's OK we've found most of it.

Paul A

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	Re: Pieces of Eight [Shipwreck Treasure] « Reply #1 on: May 28, 2010, 01:35:12 pm »

Hi Sabie,
Were they detector finds or diving?
Lovely coins!

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sabie

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	Re: Pieces of Eight [Shipwreck Treasure] « Reply #2 on: May 28, 2010, 02:07:53 pm »

Hi Paul
Both?..diving with a detector. The wreck site varies in depth from 10ft down to about 30ft
The MD gives us a reading as to an area that contains a large amount of metal, and then it?s excavated down to.
the bedrock.
Can be as much as 3ft of shale to shift including boulders.
Most of our artifacts are encrusted in concretion.

I rather like the one of yours, the one you found on the beach, last year I think.
Non Portrait excellent condition.

Sabie

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Sir!!... you've lost a lot of blood, but it's OK we've found most of it.

seldom

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	Re: Pieces of Eight [Shipwreck Treasure] « Reply #3 on: May 28, 2010, 02:18:07 pm »

sabie how far offshore is it if that's not giving to much away

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If you believe everything you read you are reading to much.
Treasure is a Harsh Mistress

sabie

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	Re: Pieces of Eight [Shipwreck Treasure] « Reply #4 on: May 28, 2010, 03:05:00 pm »

Seldom
About 20ft ?? ??Under a 200ft cliff face

Sabie

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seldom

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	Re: Pieces of Eight [Shipwreck Treasure] « Reply #5 on: May 28, 2010, 03:07:09 pm »

Thanks nice picture looks like that could be some tough diving.

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sabie

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	Re: Pieces of Eight [Shipwreck Treasure] « Reply #6 on: June 22, 2010, 03:08:43 pm »

As you can see the cliff face is in a rather a dangerous condition, bits keep falling off of it from time to time.
When working on the seabed you half expect to see the dive boat along side of you.
Just after the wrecking, about 6 months a big section of the cliff face collapsed onto the wreck.
Hence the expression:- ?..Buried Treasure.

Sabie
An interesting coin recovered from an East Indiaman wreck site.
One of the better coins recovered,
as with most of our coins this was embedded in concretion.

Mexico, pillar 8 Reale, Ferdinand VI, 1754 MF.
Sabie

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