Salvaged from the “Lucayan Beach Wreck” (sunk ca. 1628 off Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas).

The 1628 Lucayan Beach shipwreck is an unidentified sunken vessel off Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas. In 1964, divers spotted an unusual anchor on the seabed that lacked the common/modern “cross arms”, indicating that it must belong to a much earlier ship. It appears as if the boat met its demise due to very shallow waters (around 10 feet, ½ mile from the shore) as the bottom of the ship has been forcefully ripped away. With this type of wreck, divers found parts of the ship and 10,000 silver Cobs spilled across the seabed. Many more coins were found in the surrounding areas, naturally lifted, and dispersed by the currents. One of the most interesting aspects of this wreck is its unknown origin and the mystery that surrounds its historic treasure. Many of the coins found are dated 1628, which proves that the wreck could not have occurred earlier, but it was also a year of known piracy in the nautical area. Furthermore, most of the salvaged coins are Mexican 8 and 4 Reales that boast the “D” assayer, attributing them to assayer Diego de Godoy who was active from 1618 to 1634. Some historians believe that this ship was apart of the Spanish treasure fleet that was captured by Dutchman Piet Keyn in Mantaza Bay, Cuba, who had reported losing two of the seized vessels on his way back to Europe.

Accompanied by COA.