2,700 Coins from Spanish Shipwrecks To Sell in New York City Auction

The Atocha & Santa Margarita lost in 1622 Hurricane

DALLAS, TX: Nearly 3,000 Spanish coins and artifacts from the New World, mostly lost at sea for 250-350 years, are being sold by Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, Texas, in January 2007 in New York City. These Treasures of the Sea, as the collection is called, were mostly recovered by noted treasure salvor Mel Fisher, who lost his son in 1975 in a tragic accident during the effort.

The majority of the 8 Reales silver coins being auctioned came from the Tierra Firma treasure fleet. On September 5, 1622, 28 ships of the Spanish Tierra Firma treasure fleet were caught by a hurricane in the Florida Straits, and by the next morning, eight vessels carrying silver from Peru and Mexico, gold and emeralds from Columbia, and pearls from Venezuela lay on the bottom of the ocean. The heavily armed, 112 foot long Nuestra Señora de Atocha sailed as a guard in the rear of the fleet, carrying 34 tons of silver bullion in 1,038 ingots, 180,000 silver coins, 125 gold bars and discs, 350 chests of indigo, 525 bales of tobacco, plus copper ingots, bronze cannon, 1,200 pounds of silverware, and 265 souls.

In 1969, Mel Fisher's Treasure Salvors crew began their sixteen-year quest for the Atocha. Sometimes months would elapse before their magnetometers found anything on the ocean floor, but then bits of treasure would keep them on the trail. Three silver bars found in 1973 matched numbers on the Atocha's manifest, verifying that Fisher was getting closer. In 1975, his son Dirk found five bronze cannon from the Atocha, but their joy was short-lived - only days later, Dirk, his wife, and a fellow diver lost their lives when their boat capsized. By 1980, Fisher had recovered a fortune in gold bars, silver coins, and jewelry from the Santa Margarita, but the main Atocha treasure remained hidden until July 20, 1985.

Additional coins from other treasure wrecks are also included in the auction. Most of the coins are of the 8 Reales denomination (roughly the size of a silver dollar), accompanied by a few 4 Reales and 2 Reales; the majority of coins are from the Atocha. Many of the coins have certificates of authenticity from Mel Fisher's original company. The Treasures of the Sea Collection will be offered by Heritage in New York City at the Waldorf Astoria on January 7-8, at an official auction of the New York International Numismatic Convention.

Images from the Treasures of the Sea Collection, in Heritage's January 2007 NYINC Signature Auction:

Undated Silver 8 Reales of Philip III from the Potosi Mint, R Assayer
Recovered from the Atocha shipwreck.

Gold bar, provenance unknown
Recovered from the Atocha shipwreck.

1712 Gold 8 Escudos from the Lima Mint, M Assayer
Prominently bears the "712" date.

Images, descriptions, and prices realized from all of Heritage's previous auctions are available in the Permanent Auction Archives at the Heritage website, HeritageAuctions.com.

To reserve a copy of the catalog for any upcoming Heritage auction, please contact Nicole Jewell, c/o Heritage Auction Galleries, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX 75219, or call 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272.