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Posted 01/08/2020 02:09 am
Here is a coin with a story - a 1750 doubloon or 8 escudos coin minted at the New World mint of Santiago de Chile in 1750, and recovered from the wreck of the 'Nuestra Senora de la Luz' in 1993.
A brief description of the coin and the wreck I wrote a few years ago:
It is estimated that up to 1/3 of the gold and silver which the Spanish plundered from the New World never made it to Spain. Pirates, and the hardships of the long and perilous journey back to Europe took its toll of the rest. The Spanish ship Nuestra Senora de la Luz was one such loss. The Luz went down in a storm while at anchor of the coast of Montevideo, on the estuary of the River Plate (Rio de la Plata) in 1752. The wreck was located in 1992 and salvaged between 1992/93.
This find was remarkable because of the large quantity, and beautiful condition of the gold 8 and 4 Escudos coins which were salvaged. Most of the coins had been minted at the newly created New World mint at Santiago de Chile. The coins were dated mostly 1750 and 1751. Approximately 800 coins dated 1751 were salvaged, and 100-150 dated 1750.
Because of the conditions of the coins, it is estimated that the ship was lost in 1752.
Along with the santiago gold, a small number of Lima and Bogota 8 and 4 Escudos, as well as Lima and Potosi silver cobs were also salvaged. In addition, some beautiful gold ornaments and boxes, as well asl gold ingots were retrieved from the bottom of the ocean.
The government of Uruguay which had ownership of the treasure, comissioned the auction hourse of Sothebys to sell the coins, ingots and other objects in 1993. Here is an example of a Santiago 8 Escudo from that sale. It is dated 1750. Sothebys offered buyers the option to have the coins profesionally cleaned, or to buy them as they were retrieved from the sea after 240 years. I chose to have my specimen uncleaned, and you can see the marine deposits on the coin.
A brief description of the coin and the wreck I wrote a few years ago:
It is estimated that up to 1/3 of the gold and silver which the Spanish plundered from the New World never made it to Spain. Pirates, and the hardships of the long and perilous journey back to Europe took its toll of the rest. The Spanish ship Nuestra Senora de la Luz was one such loss. The Luz went down in a storm while at anchor of the coast of Montevideo, on the estuary of the River Plate (Rio de la Plata) in 1752. The wreck was located in 1992 and salvaged between 1992/93.
This find was remarkable because of the large quantity, and beautiful condition of the gold 8 and 4 Escudos coins which were salvaged. Most of the coins had been minted at the newly created New World mint at Santiago de Chile. The coins were dated mostly 1750 and 1751. Approximately 800 coins dated 1751 were salvaged, and 100-150 dated 1750.
Because of the conditions of the coins, it is estimated that the ship was lost in 1752.
Along with the santiago gold, a small number of Lima and Bogota 8 and 4 Escudos, as well as Lima and Potosi silver cobs were also salvaged. In addition, some beautiful gold ornaments and boxes, as well asl gold ingots were retrieved from the bottom of the ocean.
The government of Uruguay which had ownership of the treasure, comissioned the auction hourse of Sothebys to sell the coins, ingots and other objects in 1993. Here is an example of a Santiago 8 Escudo from that sale. It is dated 1750. Sothebys offered buyers the option to have the coins profesionally cleaned, or to buy them as they were retrieved from the sea after 240 years. I chose to have my specimen uncleaned, and you can see the marine deposits on the coin.
