What is a coin from the Atocha worth?
What is a coin from the Atocha worth?
The coin is valued at approximately $98,000 and is the 121st Atocha gold coin found at the site of the shipwreck. Moore is a member of the crew from Mel Fisher’s Treasures salvage vessel J.B. Magruder, captained by Tim Meade. The crew of the J.B Magruder has been working the site of the shipwreck in the Florida Keys.
Are shipwreck coins worth anything?
It is the 121st coin found from the wreck since 2001. It is valued at $98,000. Moore was a member of the Mel Fisher Company’s JB Magruder rescue ship which discovered the Nuestra de Atocha in 1985. Its wreck is considered the most valuable in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2014.
Are Atocha coins real?
The gold Atocha coins were minted in Spain, as gold coins were not minted in the New World in 1622. The gold Atocha coins would have been in the pockets and possessions of the wealthy passengers. Silver coins are referred to as “pieces of eight” and were measured in reales.
How can you tell if a shipwreck coin is real?
Look at sunken treasure coins carefully before buying, and assess the coin’s value based on its grade without its accompanying sunken treasure slab insert or authenticity certificate. Additionally, when coins are retrieved from a shipwreck they are usually covered or encrusted with sediment.
Are Atocha coins valuable?
Atocha coins may look like worthless old pieces of metal to a less knowledgeable person, but to anyone who knows about antiques and history, these are valuable pieces of history comparable only to a few others.
What is the most valuable sunken treasure ever found?
The largest monetary treasure haul found was on the wreck code named Black Swan, discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2007 off of Gibraltar. The salvage team reportedly found 17 tons of coins valued at $500 million; an amount that is both staggering and said to be “unprecedented” in the treasure hunting world.
Are Atocha coins rare?
According to Gary Randolph, Director of Operations of Mel Fisher’s Treasures, only 8 coins found on the Atocha came from the Cartegena mint, making them among the most rare silver coins in the Atocha collection.
How do I find my shipwreck coins?
Grading Standards for Shipwreck Effect Designated Coins
- SHIPWRECK EFFECT A — A coin exhibiting minimal surface disturbance from saltwater exposure, and exhibiting superior eye appeal for a shipwreck artifact;
- SHIPWRECK EFFECT B — A coin showing evidence of light surface disturbance from immersion in saltwater.
What does Atocha mean in English?
esparto or Atocha, a perennial grass in northwest Africa and the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula.
How do you clean a silver Atocha coin?
The easiest way is to dip the coin in water, dip your fingers in water then baking soda and rub the surface of the coin gently with your fingers. This will clean the coin without damaging it if you are not rough. Any commercial silver polish will remove the tarnish, but I wouldn’t use it if it is to harsh.
Who owns the Atocha treasure?
Treasure Salvors fought the state, claiming the find should belong to those that discovered the treasure exclusively. After eight years of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favour of Treasure Salvors on 1 July 1982, and it was awarded rights to all found treasure from the vessel.
Is the Atocha still being salvaged?
The Atocha is the late Fisher’s most famous find, but his company is currently in the process of salvaging three other wrecks – the Santa Margarita, which went down with the Atocha, and another ship that was also believed lost in the same storm, as well as a wreck off the east coast of Florida code-named “Lost Merchant …
Did Mel Fisher keep the treasure?
He hunted doggedly for years for the cargo of a single treasure-packed galleon, the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, which sank in 1622 near the Florida Keys. Eventually his son Kane located the underwater bounty in 1985, and treasure worth roughly $400 million was recovered.
How are shipwreck coins graded?
NGC has established grading standards for shipwreck effect coins on an A, B, and C scale for the severity of surface problems resulting from exposure to saltwater, combined with a details grade to describe wear on the coin prior to saltwater exposure.
What is a cob coin?
Cobs are the original “treasure coins.” Struck and trimmed by hand in the 16th through 18th centuries at Spanish mints in Mexico, Peru, and Colombia (among others), silver and gold cobs are handsomely crude, nearly all with a cross as the central feature on one side and either a coat-of-arms (shield) or a tic-tac-toe- …
Who discovered the Atocha?
Mel Fisher
On July 20, 1985 – 35 years ago today – Mel Fisher discovered the shipwreck of the Nuestra Senora De Atocha off the Florida Keys. The cargo’s value is estimated to be worth around $400 million. The treasure includes 24 tons of silver bullion, ingots, and coins, 125 gold bars and discs and 1,200 pounds silverware.
Should you clean old silver coins?
Tarnish on silver coins is called “toning” and the coin is worth more with the toning intact. Removing it will damage the coin’s surface and greatly reduce its value. In other words, you should never use dips, polish, or chemical solutions to clean your coins.
Why do silver coins turn black?
Silver becomes black because of hydrogen sulfide (sulfur), a substance that occurs in the air. When silver comes into contact with it, a chemical reaction takes place and a black layer is formed.
Are they still finding treasure from the Atocha?
We continue to actively search for and recover the remaining lost treasures of the Atocha and the Santa Margarita while also searching for other yet to be discovered shipwrecks. Each precious piece of history we recover goes through an extensive conservation process in our state of the art conservation lab.
