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Researchers have found more than enough pieces of eight to last a lifetime, with a long-lost shipwreck being discovered with $1,000,000 inside. There are far too many tragic stories of ships being lost at sea, and while the fictionalized adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies might seem a little far-fetched, piracy very much was (and still is in some regions) a lucrative business on the high seas.
When it comes to Florida's 'Treasure Coast', it doesn't take a genius to figure out where this part of the Atlantic gets its name from.
1715 Fleet - Queens Jewels LLC announced the discovery, with over 1,000 silver and gold coins that are thought to be minted in the Spanish colonies of Bolivia, Mexico, and Peru, being discovered in this lucrative stretch of Floridian waters.
The area has become a hotbed for excavators, all due to the legendary tale of the 1715 Treasure Fleet. On July 31, 1715, a flotilla of ships was wrecked in a hurricane when it travelled back from the New World with a bounty of gold, silver, and jewels.
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Salvagers have spent years hauling millions of dollars from the shipwrecks that litter the coast from Melbourne to Fort Pierce, although this latest discovery is a pretty massive one.
The find comes courtesy of Capt. Levin Shavers and the crew of the M/V Just Right, and alongside over 1,000 silver Reales, five gold Escudos, and other apparently rare gold artefacts, have been raised from the deep during the 2025 summer salvage season.
Some of the coins still have dates and mint marks on them, with historians and collectors alike sure to be scrambling to get a piece of the $1,000,000 treasure.
In a statement, salvage director Sal Guttuso said: "This discovery is not only about the treasure itself, but the stories it tells.
“Each coin is a piece of history, a tangible link to the people who lived, worked, and sailed during the Golden Age of the Spanish Empire. Finding 1,000 of them in a single recovery is both rare and extraordinary.”
It's estimated that around $400 million worth of gold, silver, and jewels were lost during the 1715 hurricane, meaning it's one of the greatest maritime tragedies of the Americas.
Gutusso concluded: "Every find helps piece together the human story of the 1715 fleet. We are committed to preserving and studying these artifacts so future generations can appreciate their historical significance.”
The coins will undergo conservation and are then expected to be exhibited at local museums for residents to take a glimpse of Florida’s maritime past. It's the sole purpose of 1715 Fleet - Queens Jewels, LLC to continue salvaging these sunken treasures, serving as the U.S. District Courts’ custodian and exclusive salvaging company of the fleet. Only 1715 Fleet - Queens Jewels, LLC and subcontractors are permitted to salvage these wrecks, but with such a monumental find having just happened, we wonder what else is lurking down there.
