Until now, the richest shipwreck ever found had been the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha, which sank in a hurricane off the Florida Keys in 1622. Mel Fisher, a treasure hunting pioneer, found it in 1985 and recovered £200 million worth of coins.
This has all been changed with the sunken treasure of 17 tone of colonial era coins worth in excess of 500 million dollars was recently recovered by Odyssey, thepublicly help deep sea exploration company.
Bruyer, A coin expert, recently flown in to Florida to examine a sample of the coins stated, "They were just beautiful, the kind of thing coin collectors would love to get their hands on,"
Odyssey's last big haul was in 2003, when it salvaged more than 50,000 coins and other artifacts worth $75 million from the SS Republic off Savannah, Ga. "That was only a tenth of the material that's been brought up here." Bruyer continued.
"Our research suggests that there were a number of colonial period shipwrecks that were lost in the area where this site is located." Odyssey CEO John Morris said in the news release. "We are being very cautious about speculating as to the possible identity of the shipwreck."
Mark Albarian, president and CEO of Goldline International, an appraiser of gold coins and other rare currency, said the coins Odyssey salvaged from the ocean floor could fetch high prices. "We have sold coins that have been recovered from treasure ships in the past for as much as $100,000 apiece." Albarian said.
In the company's statement, Morris said the gold and silver coins were in excellent condition. "We are thoroughly documenting and recording the site, which we believe will have immense historical significance," he said. "We believe that the collecting community will be thrilled when they see the quality and diversity of the collection."
There is still "a large number of artifacts" remaining on the site, and a team will return to the wreck site, the company said in a news release. At that time, the company may reveal the identity of the shipwreck.
Bruyer said the gold and silver coins he examined from the shipwreck, dubbed "Black Swan," are worth $1,000 each on average. The coins were in near-mint condition, he said. "I was really stunned by the quality of the silver coins" he said. "It was very exciting to see from a collecting point of view."
Bruyer declined to comment about the ship's nationality and the treasure's origin, citing a nondisclosure agreement with Odyssey.
For security reasons, Odyssey didn't release the location of the shipwreck. Court records, however, indicate the find may be in waters off the southwestern tip of England.
Others still undiscovered include the San Jose, a Spanish galleon which sank off Colombia in 1708 reputedly carrying two tons of platinum, 116 chests of emeralds and the personal wealth of the Viceroy of Peru in its hold - qualifying it as the richest treasure ship ever lost in the western hemisphere. She sank in about 1,000ft of water after a battle with an English squadron during the War of Spanish Succession. Estimates of the treasure's value have risen as high as $1 billion.
The cargo of Las Cinque Chagas has also been valued at $1 billion. The Portuguese merchant ship was returning from the East Indies in 1594 overladen with diamonds, rubies and pearls when she was sunk in the Azores - once again by the English.
It is possible in the next few years we will be able to look forward to buying some sunken treasure gold coins
The People's Bank of China (PBC) made an announcement on Monday 28th May 2007 that it will issue a set of special coins commemorating the Jian-10 Fighter Planes. One is a gold coin and the other is a silver coin.
