Salvage Team Uncovers Over 1,000 Silver Coins, Gold Artifacts from 1715 Spanish Fleet Wreck
VERO BEACH, FL – A salvage company exploring the wreckage of a 1715 Spanish fleet off the coast of Florida has recovered more than 1,000 silver coins and five gold Escudos, along with other rare gold artifacts. The coins, used as currency in Spanish colonies in America, were discovered during a dive to the shipwreck site.
“Every coin is part of history, a real bond with people who live, work, and sail during the golden age of the Spanish Empire,” said Sal Guttuso, Operational Director of 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels, in a statement. “Finding 1,000 coins in one discovery is a rare and remarkable thing.”
the coins are believed to have originated in the Spanish colonies of Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia, with some bearing clear mint marks and dates. Their well-preserved condition suggests they were part of a collection that quickly became buried when a ship sank during a storm.
The 1715 Fleet, also known as the plate fleet, consisted of 12 ships departing Cuba on July 24, 1715, bound for Spain. A powerful storm off the Florida coast caused eleven ships to sink, scattering debris across an 80-kilometer area.While some treasure was recovered promptly after the disaster, the majority remained lost for centuries.
“Every finding helps unite the story of the 1715 fleet,” Guttuso stated. The recovered coins will be preserved and displayed at local museums.
Previous explorations of the wreck have yielded important finds, including a rare Spanish coin called the ‘Tricentennial Royal’ in 2015, along with gold coins and chains valued at nearly USD $1 million.
In a separate incident, a salvage team led by Eric schmitt from Booty Salvage was found to have withheld 50 coins discovered in the wreck, but most were recovered in 2024 through a joint effort by local authorities and the FBI.
Rumors persist of further treasures remaining at the site, including jewelry belonging to Philip V’s second wife, such as a 74-carat emerald ring and 14-carat pearl earrings.
Florida law prohibits the removal of artifacts from the wreck without a permit,and 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels holds exclusive diving rights to the site.
