Description
Minted in the Spanish colonies from the mid-1700s through the late 1800s, these coins came in denominations of 1/2, 1, 2, 4 or 8 reales).
On the obverse depicts bust of the king facing right.
On the reverse of the coins shows the Hispanic arms:
A pair of pillars separated by a crowned simple shield with lions, castles, pomegranate and three centralized Fleurs-de-Lis. -HISPAN-ET IND-REX – King of Spain and the Indies.
The “Coconut Wreck”, sunk off Bermuda ca. 1810, has been acknowledged as the deepest treasure wreck ever found, at a depth of 16,300 feet. Located in 1999 when explorers searched for the lost 1961 “Liberty Bell” space capsule, this shipwreck was eventually salvaged with the help of submarines in 2001. Nicknamed “Piña Colada wreck” and “Atlantic Target Expedition wreck,” the wood vessel was loaded with coconuts, hence the name given in the original 2008 sale. 1300 silver coins were retrieved from a chest, along with an ornate gold box that contained 13 gold coins wrapped in a newspaper dated August 6, 1809. Two of the gold coins are among the rarest gold coins ever found on any shipwreck. There were 1300 silver coins salvaged as well. All the coins predated 1810. The ship is believed to have been involved in the triangular slave trade between, England, Africa, and the Americas, and to have sunk in late 1809 or early 1810. Other wonderful artifacts were recovered as well, including two English octants, a telescope, and an hourglass.
