A family that enjoys searching for lost treasures has made a remarkable discovery off the coast of Florida. They have located a collection of gold artifacts worth approximately $1 million in the wreckage of 18th-century Spanish ships.
For the last two summers, Rick and Lisa Schmitt, along with their son Eric and daughter-in-law, have embarked on a treasure-hunting adventure using their salvage vessel named Aarrr Booty. Recently, Eric made an exciting discovery while scouring the ocean floor off Fort Pierce, located about 130 miles north of Miami. He stumbled upon gold coins and chains from a convoy wreckage that had been submerged 15 feet underwater since 1715.
The collection of treasures found in excellent condition consists of 51 gold coins in differing values and 40 feet (12m) of ornamental gold chains adorned with olive blossoms.
One of the most remarkable discoveries made during the excavation is an extremely valuable gold coin referred to as a ‘Tricentennial Royal’. This rare coin, which was produced for King Phillip V of Spain and dated back to 1715, is one of only six known to exist. According to Schmitt, this coin alone has a value of approximately $500,000 (£321,000).
According to a statement from Brent Brisben, the owner of the rights to the wreckage owned by the company 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels LLC, the newly discovered treasures found by Rick and Lisa Schmitt were not intended to be used as currency but instead served as presentation pieces. The announcement was made to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the sinking of 11 galleons off the coast of Florida during a hurricane while en route from Havana to Spain. While the recovered treasure is valued at approximately $175 million (£112 million), the convoy’s manifests indicate that over $400 million (£256 million) worth of goods were aboard the ships.
In 2010, Brisben’s company acquired the ownership of a treasure site from Mel Fisher’s heirs. They offer subcontract agreements to treasure hunters for exploring the convoy. As per federal and state laws, Florida reserves the right to possess 20% of the discovered treasure for exhibiting purposes in a state museum. The remaining treasure will be divided between Brisben’s firm and the Schmitt family, according to Brisben.
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