The Classic 1/2 Reale "Piece of Eight" Pendant from the Shipwreck El Cazador 

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

SEE COIN DETAILS BELOW FOR PENDANT SIZE

From the personal collection of our old friend, El Cazador's Salvage Master, Craig Boyd - A Cannon Beach Treasure Exclusive. Includes the original coin insert personally signed by Craig Boyd.

Take a trip back in time... for over 300 years the Spanish ruled most of the Americas. Wars raged across Western Europe, in part due to the struggle to own and keep the New World.  Enter El Cazador, a Spanish Brig of War loaded with a silver treasure destined to relieve the failing economy of Spanish held New Orleans. The silver "Pieces of 8" she carried are often called America's first silver dollars.

Your El Cazador Shipwreck Treasure Coin

• Date: 1782 - Rarer date SEE NOTES BELOW
• Denomination: 1/2 Reale Portrait style
• Mint: Mexico City, Nueva Espana (New Spain, present day Mexico)
• Ruler: Charles III of Spain
• Coin Metal: Silver
• Bezel Metal: Proprietary, Non-Tarnishing Sterling Silver
• Obverse (Front): Portrait of Charles III
• Reverse: (Back): The shield of Spain featuring the Lions (Leon) and Castles (Castile) and Pillars of Hercules
• Articulating Maritime Shackle Bail Interior Diameter: Will accommodate chain or leather necklace up to 6.2 mm
• Size including the bezel:  7/8" Across, 1 3/8" Tall - the width of a nickel, slightly wider than a dime.

Note from Robert:Sweet and rare 1782 date. Most El Cazador coins are dated 1783.

Very nice details on this coin. Stunning portrait, clear date and shield. The quality of the portrait indicates that it was facing in on the edge of a "clump" of coins, the remains of a treasure chest.  

Less than 10% of the coins minted at this time were 1/2 reales. The majority were the large 8 reales.

El Cazador set sail on January 11, 1784, and was never heard from again. Historians speculate that had El Cazador reached her destination, Spain may never have transferred ownership of New Orleans and the surrounding territory back to France in 1801 - a transfer that paved the way for the United States acquisition of the Louisiana territory in 1803. 200 years after El Cazador’s sinking, a butterfish trawler, Mistake, snagged her nets 50 miles south of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. The crew held their breath as they raised what were sure to be damaged nets. Mysterious black clumps were all they found. While some crew members kicked them into the water, the cry of "COINS! COINS!" rang out. El Cazador, and her treasure, was found at last. Our old treasure salvor friend, Craig Boyd conducted the "delicate and dangerous" (as he describes it) process of bringing El Cazador's cargo to the surface in 2002.

Learn all about the Shipwreck That Changed History, El Cazador, here>

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

Your El Cazador Shipwreck Piece of Eight Necklace Comes Complete with:

1. Our 100% Authentic Lifetime Guarantee
2. A Detailed, Multi-Page Certificate of Authenticity Researched and Written by Robert Lewis Knecht and signed by Craig Boyd. Our Exclusive Certificate includes the history of why France lost New Orleans to Spain, and how France got it back, only for Napoleon to sell it to the United States.
3. "Pieces of Eight" Historic Brief
4. The Coins of the Lost Galleons Book
5. Treasure Hunters Gazette Booklet
6. Mini Museum Display for when you are not wearing your treasure
7. A Treasure Jewelry Care Card