A family from Florida discovered a gold treasure worth a million dollars in the remains of a Spanish squadron that sank 300 years ago. Treasure hunters have found a treasure worth a million dollars, exploring the shipwreck of the Spanish fleet, which occurred exactly 300 years ago near the town of Fort Pierce. They were lucky to find 52 gold coins, a gold chain 12 meters long and 110 silver coins.
The famous "silver fleet" was destroyed by a hurricane on July 30-31, 1715; then 11 out of 12 ships sank, more than a thousand sailors died, and unheard-of wealth scattered across the ocean floor. A week before these events, the ships, loaded to the brim with gold and jewelry, left the port of Havana and went to Spain. In the holds of the galleons were gold and silver coins, gold bars, emeralds, pearls and Chinese porcelain.
The Schmitt family from Sanford, Florida, discovered the treasure with a metal detector while exploring waters at a depth of 4-5 meters, just 300 meters from the shore. Permission to explore this area was issued to the Schmitts by 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels, LLC, which has exclusive rights to search for treasures in the area. 20% of the treasure is owed to the State of Florida, and the treasure hunters will share the rest equally with this company.
Among the coins in the hoard were found the so-called three-hundred-year-old reais, which were specially minted for the king of Spain. These gold coins were made at the beginning of the 18th century and were often irregular in shape, since the weight and quality of the metal were more important than the aesthetic component. Although a small series of perfectly round coins was made especially for King Philip V.
The treasure, it should be noted, was perfectly preserved, even despite the fact that it had lain under water and a layer of sand for three whole centuries. This is easy to explain, since gold is one of the most inert chemical elements and practically does not corrode.
In fact, Schmitt found the treasure on June 17, but decided to wait with the news and announce their find on the 300th anniversary of one of the largest shipwrecks in human history.
Eric Schmitt, the head of the family, admitted in an interview with National Geographic that, as a rule, their expeditions do not bring anything of value. “Usually we dig a hole and find beer cans there,” he said. However, on the morning of June 17, everything turned out completely differently. After the first coin, they found a second, then a third. In this case, it is difficult to argue with the fact that patience and perseverance are more than rewarded.
The video below shows the moment when precious coins were discovered - it is hard not to feel the joy and surprise of the treasure hunter even under water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16LxaTbOXOY&feature=emb_logo
