Please Note: This is an authentic 1715 Fleet Shipwreck Treasure Coin, and you will receive the exact pendant in the photographs and description.
SEE COIN DETAILS AND VIDEO BELOW FOR PENDANT SIZE
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 gold Spanish "cob" shipwreck treasure coins.
Robert has decided to release one of his "cherry" pieces from his personal collection, as we treasure divers call them; a stunning and rare Santa Fe de Bogota, Colombia, 2 escudo gold doubloon recovered by late treasure hunter, Capt. Carl Fismer. The provenance on this coin is extremely rare... see Robert's Notes below.
While our 1535 Cadiz Bay doubloons are stunning and very rare, what is even more desirable is the legendary "Bogey" recovered form the 1715 Fleet - every treasure diver's (and arm-chair treasure hunter's) dream coin.
The Golden Age of Piracy - 1650-1730
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 pirates Henry Jennings, and Charles Vane, amassed a crew and attacked the Spanish salvage camp on December 28, 1715. They made off with upwards of 350,000 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.
The pirate Blackbeard was also prowling the Florida coast and Caribbean at this time and drinking rum with Jennings and Vane! It's fascinating to consider that Blackbeard was sailing by, and attacking ships, just a few miles from the wreckage of "The Fleet," which stretched for over 30 miles along the Florida coast.
Robert's Notes: If you've been searching for a very rare and unique 1715 Fleet piece of gold, this is it.
And here is how our story unfolds…
In the 1980s, I was a firefighter/EMT on Key Largo Fire Rescue. I got my start in the "treasure biz" in 1988 when I was hired as a medic and videographer/photo journalist (more details here) on the O.R.C.A. Project, searching for a whaling ship that sank 250 miles inside the Arctic Circle.
Upon my return, I met renowned treasure hunter, Capt. Carl "Fizz" Fismer. He liked what I had done in the Arctic (even though he shivered when we talked about 28 degree water and 20 below zero temps!), he quickly put me to work documenting his treasure hunting exploits. I was introduced to the other Upper Keys treasure hunters, and began working with all of them. I never got paid in cash for my work, but I was paid in treasure, yes, "pieces of 8," which, when you think about it, was pretty cool! This coin was recovered by Carl and was given to me back then as partial payment for a documentary I had produced about his company.
Our 3 page, full color 1715 Fleet Certificate of Authenticity will also have his signature.
Not only was this legendary doubloon struck at a rare Spanish colonial mint, but its story, both past and present, is very interesting, and will be included with all of its documentation.
While all of the elements of this coin are rare and amazing, I will save the best for last. First, here are the minting details of this extraordinary specimen:
This stunning gold doubloon was minted in Bogota, Columbia over 300 years ago. We treasure salvors affectionately call them “Bogey 2s.”
So now join me on a “Deep Dive” into your amazing and rare piece of history. And by the way, all of this documentation will come with this piece as you will want to keep it with the other 12 pages of documents we provide.
RARE MINT: Each year the State of Florida gets 20-25% of the coins and treasure that are recovered during that year's salvage season. According to Florida's Research Coin Collection, most escudo gold cobs recovered from the 1715 Fleet were minted in Mexico City, Mexico. Less than 8% of the gold coins in their collection were minted in Bogota, Colombia (like this coin).
QUALITY: It is virtually uncirculated. Every detail on this coin is as sharp and crisp as the day it was minted. And the cross is well centered, and has, as we treasure divers say, a “cherry” eye appeal.
INTERESTING TYPE: While one would think it was minted by Philip V of Spain (1700-1746) piece. Present day research shows it is actually a posthumous King Charles II issue (1665-1700). In fact, it is coin like these that helped researchers identity its posthumous minting. From a collector's standpoint, this makes it really cool and collectable. More details about this to follow.
WHO FOUND IT? Captain Carl Fismer, in the later 1980s. I will include a photo I took of him with gold doubloons.
UNIQUE HISTORIC BACKGROUND FOR THE COIN'S SHIELD: Why is there a Charles II shield on a coin minted during the reign of Philip V? In November of 1700, Charles II of Spain (German Habsburg dynasty) died with no heir. Charles willed the Spanish throne to his nephew, 16 year old Philip of Anjou, grandson of France's King Louis XIV. But since Philip was from the Bourbon French side of royalty (instead of the Habsburg, which Charles II and previous Spanish kings had been), England, the Netherlands and other European countries feared that Spain (with its New World gold and silver) would unite with France, which had the largest land army in the Western world, and they would "conquer the world." This began the War of Spanish Secession (1701-1714).
While other Spanish colonial mints changed the royal shield on their coins to Philip V's, Columbia kept the shield on most of their coins to Charles II well into the reign of Philip V. There are no "official” mint documents explaining why. Some catalogers attribute the name to Charles III of Austria, who was also a member of the House of Habsburg, and who tried unsuccessfully to claim the Spanish throne. We agree with other Spanish numismatic experts and speculate that the folks at Bogota, Colombia, where this gold piece was struck, kept on using the Charles II shield on the coins until Philip agreed to renounce his (or his heir's) claim to the French throne and was officially recognized as king of Spain. It took 13 years to sort this out, as the War of Spanish succession didn’t end until 1714.
There are references to the war in the movies The Deep, Into the Blue and Fool's Gold. In fact, these movies are loosely based on the 1715 Fleet.
ONE FINAL WORD: Ernie "Seascribe" Richards writes in his 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet book: "Usually impressed into narrow, thick, and angularly-cut planchets, the details of these early pieces out the the Colombian mint at Santa Fe de Bogota (the most prolific) generally "missed the coin" but, nonetheless, they were made from precious metal of 22+ karats fineness. And to see one's golden flash in the sand under the sea is a thrill every time! Like the original 'Bogey,' rough and tumble movie actor Humphrey Bogart, the 'typical shipwreck gold coin' must be considered 'ruggedly handsome!'”
THE END...
To maintain this coin's unique provenance and value, all of this information will be included in the detailed Certificate of Authenticity and documentation package that comes with it.
What does Real or Escudo mean?
Real means "Royal" in Spanish and denoted SILVER coins - "piece of 8" is a nickname for the Spanish 8 real (reale, or plural, reales), or its smaller denominations as they were often cut down into smaller sizes to make change. Reales were minted in 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, and 8 real denominations.
Escudo means "Shield" in Spanish and denoted GOLD coins - "doubloon" is the nickname for the 2 escudo, or in Spanish doblon back then. Today, we often refer to all Spanish colonial gold coins as "doubloons" until we need to get specific about the denomination. Escudos at this time were minted in 1, 2, 4 and 8 escudos.
For more on the 1715 Fleet, click here>
To see our complete collection of Spanish "Piece of Eight" treasure coins, click here>
with your treasure coin purchase. Choose your chain and enter Coupon Code: CHAIN at checkout. (Does not apply to discounted clearance chains.)
with your treasure coin purchase. Choose your chain and enter Coupon Code: CHAIN at checkout. (Does not apply to discounted clearance chains.)
Questions? Confused? Looking for a gift? We're experts at matching treasure to people. Give us a call at 503.436.1626, join us on Live Chat, or drop us an email at treasure@cannonbeachtreasure.com.
Questions? Confused? Looking for a gift? We're experts at matching treasure to people. Give us a call at 503.436.1626, join us on Live Chat, or drop us an email at treasure@cannonbeachtreasure.com.
