$1M In Coins From 1715 Shipwreck Found Along FL's Treasure Coast

VERO BEACH, FL — A summer expedition along Florida's Treasure Coast recently netted a $1 million discovery for salvage crews, who found more than 1,000 silver coins and five gold coins amid a shipwrecked fleet.

Salvage company Queens Jewels first announced the news Tuesday. Queens Jewels says it owns the rights to the remains of the 1715 Treasure Fleet, a Spanish ship that foundered during a hurricane in the 18th century.

Queen Jewels' latest discovery was made by Capt. Levin Shavers and the M/V Just Right crew, according to the company.

The fleet was located along Florida's Treasure Coast, which covers St. Lucie, Martin and Indian River counties.

The coast has a deep-rooted history that stretches back more than 300 years ago, when 11 Spanish vessels shipwrecked between Cape Canaveral and the St. Lucie River.

The purpose of the fleet was to transport "American possessions of the Spanish Empire" and return them to Spain, but when hurricane winds hit, the treasure aboard the ships dispersed onto the Atlantic Ocean floor.

The coins were at home in the seabed until recently.

“This discovery is not only about the treasure itself, but the stories it tells,” Sal Guttuso, director of operations, said in a news release. “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.”

Before destruction hit on July 31, 1715, the Treasure Fleet was carrying New World riches to Spain. However, treasure seekers say the storm led to the loss of gold, silver and jewels estimated to be worth about $400 million.

The silver coins are known as Reales, while the gold coins are Escudos, the company said. Treasure seekers also found more rare gold artifacts this summer.

Queens Jewels said the coins were made in what were then the Spanish colonies of Mexico, Peru and Bolivia, and still visibly display their dates and mint marks. They could have been contained in a single chest or shipment that spilled over when the storm destroyed the ship.

“Every find helps piece together the human story of the 1715 fleet,” Guttuso said. “We are committed to preserving and studying these artifacts so future generations can appreciate their historical significance.”

The coins will first be carefully conserved before being publicly viewed, Queens Jewels said. Some of the treasure will be on display at local museums in Florida.