Enjoy the free Classified Ads! 24HourForums.com Home Thank you for supporting us. Click to enter Posts Of The Day.
Recent Posts Search by username
Search Contact Us Login Register
When logged in, click this to open up the Jumper for easier navigation. Click for details on our forum system in the Forum Center.
Click to be shown the (Top 10 and Management) forums listed in the top section of the site. Click to be shown the (Supported) forums listed in the middle section of the site. Click to be shown the (UnSupported) forums listed in the bottom section of the site. Click to learn about, or pay for, forum Sponsorships. Click for the Official Forum Voting Poll.  VOTE! Click for info on owning a forum here at 24.

24HourForums.com > Supported Forums > Lord Marcovan's Treasure Territory > shipwreck treasure yields 17 tons of colonial-era coins

Share this topic...
Digg!  - Digg   Slashdot  - SlashDot    - del.icio.us    - Reddit    - StumbleUpon   - Facebook

 Moderated by: Lord Marcovan Page:    1  2  3  Next Page Last Page  

New Topic

Reply

Print
AuthorPost
Lady Cop
Pioneer100© Member


Joined: 
Location: Cape Cod
Posts: 9854
MyResume: [Download]
MyJob:  deputy sheriff (retired)
MyForum: LC's crimes and trials
MyLove: my family
MyWish: 
MyFile: [Download]
MyIntro: [Download]
MySex: straight woman
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 02:06 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0         

Shipwrecked treasure ship yields historic riches

POSTED: 7:42 a.m. EDT, May 18, 2007


Story Highlights• 17 tons of colonial-era coins worth $500 million, Odyssey Marine Exploration says
• Salvage project "Black Swan" in Atlantic Ocean cloaked in secrecy
• Court records show coins might be from a 400-year-old ship found off England
• "Unprecedented" find from colonial era, rare coin expert says


 
TAMPA, Florida (AP) -- Deep-sea explorers said Friday they have mined what could be the richest shipwreck treasure in history, bringing home 17 tons of colonial-era silver and gold coins from an undisclosed site in the Atlantic Ocean. Estimated value: $500 million.

A jet chartered by Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration landed in the United States recently with hundreds of plastic containers brimming with coins raised from the ocean floor, Odyssey co-chairman Greg Stemm said. The more than 500,000 pieces are expected to fetch an average of $1,000 each from collectors and investors.

"For this colonial era, I think (the find) is unprecedented," said rare coin expert Nick Bruyer, who examined a batch of coins from the wreck. "I don't know of anything equal or comparable to it."

Citing security concerns, the company declined to release any details about the ship or the wreck site Friday. Stemm said a formal announcement will come later, but court records indicate the coins might come from a 400-year-old ship found off England.

Because the shipwreck was found in a lane where many colonial-era vessels went down, there is still some uncertainty about its nationality, size and age, Stemm said, although evidence points to a specific known shipwreck. The site is beyond the territorial waters or legal jurisdiction of any country, he said.

"Rather than a shout of glee, it's more being able to exhale for the first time in a long time," Stemm said of the haul, by far the biggest in Odyssey's 13-year history.

He wouldn't say if the loot was taken from the same wreck site near the English Channel that Odyssey recently petitioned a federal court for permission to salvage.

In seeking exclusive rights to that site, an Odyssey attorney told a federal judge last fall that the company likely had found the remains of a 17th-century merchant vessel that sank with valuable cargo aboard, about 40 miles off the southwestern tip of England. A judge signed an order granting those rights last month.

In keeping with the secretive nature of the project dubbed "Black Swan," Odyssey also isn't talking yet about the types, denominations and country of origin of the coins.

Bruyer said he observed a wide range of varieties and dates of likely uncirculated currency in much better condition than artifacts yielded by most shipwrecks of a similar age.

The Black Swan coins -- mostly silver pieces -- likely will fetch several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars each, with some possibly commanding much more, he said. Value is determined by rarity, condition and the story behind them.

Controlled release of the coins into the market along with their expected high value to collectors likely will keep prices at a premium, he said.

The richest ever shipwreck haul was yielded by the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha, which sank in a hurricane off the Florida Keys in 1622. Treasure-hunting pioneer Mel Fisher found it in 1985, retrieving a reported $400 million in coins and other loot.

Odyssey likely will return to the same spot for more coins and artifacts.

"We have treated this site with kid gloves and the archaeological work done by our team out there is unsurpassed," Odyssey CEO John Morris said. "We are thoroughly documenting and recording the site, which we believe will have immense historical significance."

The news is timely for Odyssey, the only publicly traded company of its kind.

The company salvaged more than 50,000 coins and other artifacts from the wreck of the SS Republic off Savannah, Georgia, in 2003, making millions. But Odyssey posted losses in 2005 and 2006 while using its expensive, state-of-the-art ships and deep-water robotic equipment to hunt for the next mother lode.

"The outside world now understands that what we do is a real business and is repeatable and not just a lucky one shot deal," Stemm said. "I don't know of anybody else who has hit more than one economically significant shipwreck."

In January, Odyssey won permission from the Spanish government to resume a suspended search for the wreck of the HMS Sussex, which was leading a British fleet into the Mediterranean Sea for a war against France in 1694 when it sank in a storm off Gibraltar.

Historians believe the 157-foot warship was carrying nine tons of gold coins to buy the loyalty of the Duke of Savoy, a potential ally in southeastern France. Odyssey believes those coins could also fetch more than $500 million.

But under the terms of a historic agreement Odyssey will have to share any finds with the British government. The company will get 80 percent of the first $45 million and about 50 percent of the proceeds thereafter.






Ads appear if not logged in.

24HourNut
Administrator

Body pillows rock!
Joined: 
Location: Long Island
Posts: 4888
MyResume: 
MyJob: Forumite Torture
MyForum: Say Hello
MyLove: A quiet, empty house (never happens)
MyWish: To obtain very cool mutant powers
MyFile: [Download]
MyIntro: [Download]
MySex: Male heterosexual
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 02:11 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
Wow, what a find!!! :drool:   Would love to have found that for the coins ... thanks for posting this.

 




The best human beings start good new topics and vote on the better posts.
Lady Cop
Pioneer100© Member


Joined: 
Location: Cape Cod
Posts: 9854
MyResume: [Download]
MyJob:  deputy sheriff (retired)
MyForum: LC's crimes and trials
MyLove: my family
MyWish: 
MyFile: [Download]
MyIntro: [Download]
MySex: straight woman
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 02:14 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      


 
Odyssey co-founder Greg Stemm, left, looks at coins recovered from the "Black Swan" shipwreck with an unidentified member of the conservation team on Thursday.                                 i knew all you collectors would be drooling!:D




Last edited on 02:15 pm by Lady Cop





24HourNut
Administrator

Body pillows rock!
Joined: 
Location: Long Island
Posts: 4888
MyResume: 
MyJob: Forumite Torture
MyForum: Say Hello
MyLove: A quiet, empty house (never happens)
MyWish: To obtain very cool mutant powers
MyFile: [Download]
MyIntro: [Download]
MySex: Male heterosexual
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 02:20 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
Wow, those look like big silver dollars.




The best human beings start good new topics and vote on the better posts.
epoch
Original500© Member


Joined: 
Location:  
Posts: 208
MyResume: 
MyJob: 
MyForum: 
MyLove: 
MyWish: 
MyFile: 
MyIntro: 
MySex: 
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 02:29 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
that may put some heads in a spin as far as market rarity and availability.

Lady Cop
Pioneer100© Member


Joined: 
Location: Cape Cod
Posts: 9854
MyResume: [Download]
MyJob:  deputy sheriff (retired)
MyForum: LC's crimes and trials
MyLove: my family
MyWish: 
MyFile: [Download]
MyIntro: [Download]
MySex: straight woman
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 02:35 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
this thing is bigger than the Atocha, i would like to know more about the ship's history.





shirohniichan
Original500© Member

Obscurius per obscurum
Joined: 
Location: South Central Orange County, California USA
Posts: 1778
MyResume: 
MyJob: Car salesman
MyForum: 
MyLove: Russian nationalist music (no, I'm serious)
MyWish: Whirled peas
MyFile: 
MyIntro: 
MySex: About as male as can be
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 06:58 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
Lady Cop wrote:

 
Odyssey co-founder Greg Stemm, left, looks at coins recovered from the "Black Swan" shipwreck with an unidentified member of the conservation team on Thursday.                                 i knew all you collectors would be drooling!:D





I wonder what percentage of the coins are Spanish colonial 8 reales. They were the most popular silver trade coins of the day. Since gold was mentioned, I imagine there are some 8 escudos in there, also. The breakdown in date, denomination, mintmark, and condition should be fascinating to see.

24HourNut
Administrator

Body pillows rock!
Joined: 
Location: Long Island
Posts: 4888
MyResume: 
MyJob: Forumite Torture
MyForum: Say Hello
MyLove: A quiet, empty house (never happens)
MyWish: To obtain very cool mutant powers
MyFile: [Download]
MyIntro: [Download]
MySex: Male heterosexual
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 07:00 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
Look at all the white containers behind them, too.




The best human beings start good new topics and vote on the better posts.
Lady Cop
Pioneer100© Member


Joined: 
Location: Cape Cod
Posts: 9854
MyResume: [Download]
MyJob:  deputy sheriff (retired)
MyForum: LC's crimes and trials
MyLove: my family
MyWish: 
MyFile: [Download]
MyIntro: [Download]
MySex: straight woman
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 09:11 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
Record shipwreck 'found off Cornwall'
US firm claims to have recovered 500,000 gold and silver coins from secret site.    a little more info from the UK Telegraph.





sumnom
Original500© Member


Joined: 
Location:  
Posts: 1726
MyResume: 
MyJob: 
MyForum: 
MyLove: 
MyWish: 
MyFile: 
MyIntro: 
MySex: 
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 11:33 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
Man, what is this going to do to the coin markets? It might mean more coins from this period become more affordable to more people. When an enormous hoard of Koryo dynasty coins was unearthed in Kaesong, North Korea, the prices for the once rare Koryo cast coins fell through the floor, enabling me to collect them!:D

Mr Lee
Original500© Member

'52 Cruiser
Joined: 
Location: Eastvale, California USA
Posts: 534
MyResume: 
MyJob: RSR
MyForum: 
MyLove: My Wife and Kids
MyWish: 
MyFile: 
MyIntro: 
MySex: 
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 04:56 am

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
"Controlled release of the coins into the market along with their expected high value to collectors likely will keep prices at a premium, he said."

The prices will remain high for awhile but will drop enventually. There's way too many of them.

JustifiedByFaith
Pioneer100© Member

Jesus...above every other name
Joined: 
Location: Pacific Northwest, USA
Posts: 8297
MyResume: 
MyJob: 
MyForum: Politics & Religion
MyLove: Not of this world...
MyWish: 
MyFile: [Download]
MyIntro: 
MySex: Male
Status:  Online
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 04:57 am

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
Mr Lee wrote: "Controlled release of the coins into the market along with their expected high value to collectors likely will keep prices at a premium, he said."

The prices will remain high for awhile but will drop enventually. There's way too many of them.

What an incredible find. They were not Morgans were they? A lot earlier right?




Jesus said, "Take heed that no one deceives you."

Matthew 24:4


CARLA
Original500© Member

Aloha San Diego is Paradise.!!
Joined: 
Location: SAN DIEGO, California USA
Posts: 2677
MyResume: [Download]
MyJob: I.T. Database & Office Manager..
MyForum: Become a 24hour Sponsor it's COOL..!
MyLove: SPORTS, FAMILY, OLD CARS, TECH STUFF..
MyWish: That there is a cure for Alzheimer's Disease soon...
MyFile: [Download]
MyIntro: [Download]
MySex: FEMALE
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 02:34 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
I juest need a few thats all and I can retire early.:cash:




Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up worn out screaming what a ride..
24HourNut
Administrator

Body pillows rock!
Joined: 
Location: Long Island
Posts: 4888
MyResume: 
MyJob: Forumite Torture
MyForum: Say Hello
MyLove: A quiet, empty house (never happens)
MyWish: To obtain very cool mutant powers
MyFile: [Download]
MyIntro: [Download]
MySex: Male heterosexual
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 05:49 pm

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
JBF, way before Morgans. Those found coins are from the 1600s I believe.




The best human beings start good new topics and vote on the better posts.

Ads appear if not logged in.

Lady Cop
Pioneer100© Member


Joined: 
Location: Cape Cod
Posts: 9854
MyResume: [Download]
MyJob:  deputy sheriff (retired)
MyForum: LC's crimes and trials
MyLove: my family
MyWish: 
MyFile: [Download]
MyIntro: [Download]
MySex: straight woman
Status:  Offline
MyPOTD: 
Return to topBottom of page
 Posted: 04:12 am

Quote

Reply

PM

Alert
voters: 0      
Spain is now claiming ownership of the coins. this is going to be in the courts for about 73 years!






 Current time is 11:54 pm
Page:    1  2  3  Next Page Last Page  
24HourForums.com > Supported Forums > Lord Marcovan's Treasure Territory > shipwreck treasure yields 17 tons of colonial-era coins


Site Supporters
Posts Of The Day Mock Forums WowClassic



Themes and most mods done in collaboration with: WowClassic - powerful forum software with the best support service.
We are partners with Forum Owner Services
Powered by WowBB 1.7 - Copyright © 2003-2006 Aycan Gulez