An excavation team has highlighted the lost load for a long time Spanish Coins were buried under surf and sand for centuries Florida Known as “Treasure Coast”.
This week, Shipwrak Salve Company 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels announced that its divers found more than 1,000 silver and gold coins found that centuries ago, Spanish colonies were considered mint. Bolivia, Mexico And PeruThey guess that the coins are $ 1 million.
Over the years, coins have found millions of dollars – and have been stolen – by Salvajars in a stretch of the Atlantic coast from Melbourne to Fort Pierce.
Finally, this summer disposal of this summer disposal has been found recently that the Salvage Company, as required by the state law, will be divided between its subcontinent and the state of Florida.
What do you know about Florida’s tradition of hunting of the state-sanctioned treasure here.
A storm drowned a 1715 fleet
The 1715 fleet was a convoy of Spanish ships laden with silver, gold and jewelry taken from the new world. Floralla was going back to Spain when on 31 July 1715, a storm spread it to the treasury in the sea.
Spanish recovered some gold and silver coins, but the treasures of many of the doom were lost in ages.
For generations, divers have fought the “treasure coast”, which is looking for lost gold bars and eight pieces of eight under waves. Over the years, the site has produced a contingent of treasures well, and has helped maintain a local industry of professional treasures.
The treasure is actually from Florida
Under the Florida Act, any “treasury discovery” or archaeological artifacts belong to the state -owned land or in the state’s water. But the state can issue permits to qualified persons or companies for survey and recovery of offshore cultural resources.
After negotiations with state officials, salvars get to walk with most artifacts.
It is necessary for the state law to maintain by the state for research collection or public performance up to about 20% of the recovered archaeological materials. Other 80% can be divided between salvars.
Each coin will be cleaned and documented
Company 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels LLC was awarded exclusive rescue rights for 1715 fleet ships by a federal court, which oversees its discovery and distribution each year.
The operating director of the company, Cell Guttuso says that employees make a detailed list of search before starting the conservation process in the company’s archaeological laboratory, with small batch of coins placed in a reverse electrolysis tank. It is a process of running a stream of electricity through water solution to gently remove salt, metal oxide and sea development, which may have surrounded coins for centuries.
Then, employees will use magnification and high resolution photography to document the nuances of each coin, shown any mark that shows the emperor and minters associated with it, as well as with weight and location where it was found. Those matrix are used to assess coins on the point-based grade system.
State officials then review the detailed inventory and request which artifacts they want to keep for the public, once a federal judge signed.
Not only can anyone go to hunting treasure in Florida
It is against the Florida Act for harassing or digging Florida’s -owned sites, which is without permission from the Florida Division of Historical Resources, and violations can warrant the allegations of hooliganism. Florida officials can issue an exploration or recovery permit to applicants who have met “stringent archaeological needs”.
The state encourages residents and visitors to detect many underwater archaeological protection of Florida, and helps identify, record and report underwater – just don’t bother them.
“The true ‘treasure’ of a shipwreck is taken through public participation and interpretation,” reads an interpreter on the website of Historical Resources.
Does anyone earn money in doing this?
Sometimes.
Guttuso says that running a ship -verand salving company is a part -time task for him. He said that the subcontinents who dive the site have considered it as a summer job, while during Offsen, they serve as a mechanic or property manager, he said.
Guttuso said some divers have used a season’s find to hunting next season. Other people keep coins for private collection.
But there are some years when hunters see a big payment, he said. In 2015, the company’s divers found more than 350 gold coins, the most precious for $ 250,000.
___ Kate Payne is a core member for the Associated Press/Report for the US Statehouse News Initiative. The report for the US is a non -profit national service program that keeps journalists in the local news room to report on undercover issues.