Diver's Division 1/2 Reale Treasure Coin from the 1715 Fleet Glory Days of Mel Fisher - a Cannon Beach Treasure Company Exclusive

Please Note: This is an authentic 1715 Fleet Shipwreck Treasure Coin, and you will receive the exact pendant in the photographs and description.

FOR PENDANT SIZE SEE COIN DETAILS BELOW

One of the most famed treasure fleets of all time, the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet yields some of the most stunning examples of early 1700's silver Spanish "cob" shipwreck treasure coins.

Crudely minted cob coins - short for cabo de barra, or "end of the bar," each has its own unique shape - and combined with the sea wear and stunning patinas, each is a small work of art. And the coins in this special collection were recovered during the heyday of the 1715 Fleet recovery efforts, when legends like Kip Wagner and Mel Fisher headed crews destined to discover these precious treasures!

What connection does the 1715 Fleet have to Pirates: These "pieces of 8" are also the famous coins of pirate legend and lore. The Spanish quickly began salvaging their fleet. But pirate Henry Jennings amassed a crew and attacked Spanish salvage camp in early 1716. They made off with upwards of 120,000 pieces of 8. Obviously, this coin survived that raid, and lay hidden for hundreds of years on the ocean bottom, to be salvaged only a few years ago. 

Blackbeard was also prowling the Florida coast and Caribbean at this time and drinking rum with Jennings!

Your 1715 Fleet Shipwreck Treasure Coin

• Date: Early 1700s
• Denomination: 1/2 Reale
• Mint: Lima, Peru
• Assayer: Not Visible
• Ruler: King Philip V of Spain
• Coin Metal: Silver
• Bezel Metal: Proprietary, non-tarnishing sterling silver
• Obverse (Front): Jerusalem Cross
• Reverse: (Back): Monogram of the King of Spain
• Articulating Shackle Bail Interior Diameter: Will accommodate chain or leather necklace up to 6.2mm
• Pendant Size including bezel: 5/8" Across, 1 1/8" Tall - the width of a dime 

Notes From Robert: Very nice cross detail and visible kings' monogram. 

Most of the coins recovered from "The Fleet" we minted in Mexico City. Less than 10% of the coins were struck in Lima, or Potosi, and due to their small size, small coins like this didn't survive as well as their large silver dollar-size 8 reale counterparts. And only about 7% of the coins minted at this time were 1/2 reales. The majority were the large 8 reales.

A CBTC Exclusive - the Diver's Division Collection: This coin was recovered from the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet in the mid 1980s. 

This is from my personal collection. When I acquired it, it was in "as recovered" condition. I gently restored it in our conservation lab

What makes this coin rare?

1 - Most of the coins recovered from The Fleet were struck at Mexico City, Mexico. Less than 10% of the coins recovered were struck at Lima, Peru, or Potosi, Upper Peru (present day Bolivia) over 3,000 miles away. This coin comes with a 10 page Potosi Mint Historic Brief.

2 -Only about 7% of the coins struck at this time were 1/2 reales. 75% or so were the large, silver dollar size 8 reales.

In the '90s, I used to dive on other "Fleet" shipwreck sites near where this coin was recovered. My main job was to film and photograph the treasure being recovered. But when I wasn't filming I was searching for treasure on the bottom. It was a two hour boat ride to the site from our dock inside Sebastian Inlet. So on the days I had to head back to Key Largo where I lived, I would travel out on the boat in the morning and work most of the day, then swim the half-mile into shore with my gear to a car waiting with a friend to take me back home.

A diver's division is what a treasure diver received at the end of a diving season, IF treasure was recovered. During my diving years, sometimes I got a division, and sometimes I didn't. As us treasure hunters say, "That's why we call it 'hunting" and not 'finding.'"

Ahhh, "The good 'Ol Days."

For more on the 1715 Fleet, click here>

To see our complete collection of Spanish "Piece of Eight" treasure coins, click here>

Your 1715 Fleet Shipwreck Piece of Eight Pendant Comes Complete with:

1. Our 100% Authentic Lifetime Guarantee
2. A Detailed, 3 Page Certificate of Authenticity Researched and Written by Robert Lewis Knecht, who used to dive on the 1715 Fleet
3. 10 page Potosi Mint Historic Brief by Robert
4. "Pieces of Eight" Historic Brief
5. The Coins of the Lost Galleons Book
6. Treasure Hunters Gazette Booklet
7. Mini Museum display for when you are not wearing your treasure
8. A Treasure Jewelry Care Card