Watch as a diver discovers more than $1 million in gold from a 300 year old Spanish wreck. The diver was subcontracting for treasure hunting company 1715 Fleet–Queens Jewels LLC, which has the salvaging rights to a fleet of Spanish ship wrecks, aka the “1715 Fleet“.
Among the items recovered:
- 51 gold coins
- 40 feet of ornate gold chain
- A single coin called a Royal made for the king of Spain, Phillip V. Only a few are known to exist, and the coin — nicknamed “Tricentennial Royal” — is dated 1715. Brisben said the extremely rare silver-dollar-sized coin is worth “probably around half a million dollars itself.”
It’s believed there is still $400 million worth of treasure located below, says Brent Brisben of 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels LLC. .
MarketWatch adds, “the discovery comes almost 300 years to the day that the fleet wrecked. As for the history, the ships were sent to America to fetch gold and silver and under pressure to get back quickly, as the Spanish crown needed to replenish its coffers to finance wars. Sailing from Havana, Cuba on July 24, 1715, the ships crashed during a hurricane a week later near present-day Vero Beach, Fla. The Spaniards returned a few times, salvaging a great chunk of that treasure.”
