Colombia: Charles III Pretender gold "1715 Fleet" Cob 2 Escudos ND (1700-1713) MS63 NGC,...

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Charles III Pretender gold "1715 Fleet" Cob 2 Escudos ND (1700-1713) MS63 NGC, Santa Fe de Nuevo Reino mint, Cal-Type-242 (under Philip V), Restrepo-66.32, Fr-41. 6.72gm. A brilliant shipwreck survivor featuring an intriguing gap in the middle of the flan.

Cataloged by some as a posthumous issue of Charles II, under the reign of Philip V, this piece was in fact struck under the influence of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, who partially reigned Spain during the 14-year war of succession that followed the death of Charles II. He was accepted in Catalonia, where he stayed for 6 years, until the death of his brother made him return to Vienna to be crowned Emperor, leaving the throne to Philip V.

On July 30th, 1715, a Spanish treasure fleet, which would later be famously known as the 1715 Fleet, encountered a hurricane that claimed a sizable portion of its galleons and crew. A reported 1,000 lives and 14 million pesos were lost, including an equal amount of treasure in contraband. It's hard to estimate the value lost when measured in today's currency, but one can imagine the extensive caliber of cargo when considering the convoy was a combination of two different fleets: the Nueva España Fleet, which got stuck in Veracruz for two years before it could join the Tierra Firme Fleet. After more delays in Havana, a 12-13 ship convoy left with an enormous amount of accumulated cargo, never to reach Spain. The Spaniards salvaged the wreck for a few years afterwards, recovering nearly half of the official cargo from shallow-water wreck sites. Modern salvaging began when Florida resident Kip Wagner found a "piece of eight" at a beach after a hurricane and was intrigued by its origins. With old maps, metal detectors, a small plane, and a permit from the state of Florida, Wagner located wreck sites and artifacts, ultimately putting together a team of archeologists, divers, and investors. This was the beginning of the Real Eight Company. As the Real Eight team combed the seabed with suction machines, they found jewels, emeralds, Chinese porcelain, silverware, and gold & silver ingots. Furthermore, they found as many as 10,000 gold Cobs and over 100,000 silver Cobs. These huge discoveries uncovered yet-unknown numismatic pieces and ultimately made rare gold Cobs "common" (though still very high-end for collectors). The salvaged coins were mainly from Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, minted primarily between 1711 and 1715, although numerous earlier pieces from the 1600's were also recovered. As modern salvaging continues in these underwater sites, we expect many more exciting discoveries to be made, including the recovery of the last five or six ships that have yet to be found.

Metal: Gold
Diameter: 20mm
Weight: 6.7682g
AGW: 0.1995oz

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