Please Note: This is an authentic Atocha Shipwreck Treasure Coin, and you will receive the exact pendant in the photographs and description.
FOR PENDANT SIZE SEE COIN DETAILS BELOW
Atocha is the most famous Spanish galleon in shipwreck history! Mel Fisher spent 16 years searching for her... and every day he would tell his divers: “Today’s the Day!” Years of trials and heartbreak were endured, along with attacks by the State and Federal government, who wanted to claim what Fisher found along the way. At last, one fateful morning in 1985 he hit the “mother load...” millions upon millions in glittering Spanish silver and gold!
Robert's Notes: Beautiful full cross and shield detail, with sweet visible"P" mint mark and "M" assayer's initials. Almost full HISPANIARVM, part of the Latin for King of Spain and the Indies. Most of the time this isn't visible and falls off the edge of the planchet.
The coin looks stunning in hand.
We treasure hunters call pieces like these "Key West Dog Tags." Sidle (if there's no horse, it's sidle) up to an oyster bar and you will turn heads!
Special James Sinclair signed and sealed Atocha Certificate of Authenticity - SEE SPECIAL NOTE BELOW. Jim is an esteemed member of the Atocha Golden Crew, those crew members who worked for Fisher for many years with little or no pay, and were still with him when they "hit the Mother Load." Jim was in charge of the Treasure Salvors Conservation Lab, and conserved this coin after Mother Load discovery.
All of this information will be included with the extensive documentation package the comes with this pendant.
SPECIAL NOTE FOR THIS RARE AND COLLECTABLE COIN AND CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY - "THE NAPKIN DEAL"
The “treasure biz” is full of crazy stories.
This is one of them. It is known as the “Napkin Deal.”
This true story begins in Key West, pre-1985, at one of the bars Mel used to frequent. The treasure hunting business is extremely expensive, and in the pre-”mother-load days,” Fisher was always looking for “investors.”
With a piece of 8 hanging around his neck, Mel was having a few rum and cokes with a doctor friend. Of course, the conversation came around to the boats always needing repairs, fueling them was expensive, and then there was the food to feed his dive crews. I call it the “Treasure hunter's Lament.”
The story goes that the doctor had $8,000 in his pocket, so he asked Mel what he would get in return for his money, IF Mel found the Atocha. They agreed on a deal, it was written up on a bar napkin, and that was witnessed by a bar maid.
A few years later, in 1985, Fisher and his weathered crew “hit the mother load.” The doctor showed up with his napkin, and Mel, true to his word, presented the doctor with two chests of coins. Considering each chest contained thousands of coins, this definitely goes down as one of the best, if not, the best treasure “investment” in history.
Archeologist, James Sinclair, ran Fisher's Treasure Salvors conservation lab in Key West, and conserved all of the Mother Load coins. Sinclair conserved both chests of coins, and did special Treasure Salvors custom Certificates of Authenticity, with the TSI CH4 # personally signed and sealed by him. This coin is from Sinclair's personal division for conserving the chests.
Decades later, these coins and COA's are highly sought after and collectable.
On a personal note: Jim and I did a fun Telemundo show together in Miami in the early '90s where he brought one of these "chests" (before it was conserved) and other treasures from Atocha and I brought a “chest” of coins from Arthur C. Clarke's Taj Mahal Sunken Treasure (yes, the one seen on Pawn Stars). Jim can be seen in numerous documentaries, and is the archaeologist for the Allen Exploration team searching for the famed Spanish galleon Maravilla and other shipwrecks off the Bahamas.
For more on Mel Fisher and Atocha, 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.
