LOT #21145 |
Sold on May 10, 2026 for: Sign-in
or Join (free & quick)
Mexico: "Atocha" Shipwreck silver Plate ND (ca. 1600's), ...
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
Sold on May 10, 2026 for:
$3,172.00
Bid Source: HA.com/Live bidder
Get one of these:
Explore Available Items
Description
"Atocha" Shipwreck silver Plate ND (ca. 1600's), 240x30mm. 296.35gm. Salvaged from the "Nuestra Señora de Atocha" (sunk in 1622 off Key West, Florida). A seldom-seen denomination for this wreck, let alone with a full date. A silver plate from the most famous shipwreck treasure recovered to date. This hefty relic displays some corrosion, a testament to the 300 years it spent submerged under the thriving Florida waters, but retains full structural integrity with solid silver rims. Upon close inspection, the center of the plate still holds the original user's knife-cutting marks, forever embedded into the soft metal.Ex. Christies Atocha Sale (August, 1988); with Treasure Salvors photo-certificate 1985-4133
The Nuestra Señora de Atocha was the Admiral Galleon of the Tierra Firme Fleet, a twenty-eight-ship fleet carrying an unprecedented amount of treasure from the Americas. Sailing from Havana bound to Spain on the 4th of September 1622, the armada was hit by a massive hurricane in the Florida Keys, most of the fleet being decimated and the treasure sinking to the Atlantic seabed. The Spanish efforts to retrieve the precious cargo weren't fruitful, which led to the scattering of the vast amount of treasure across the Florida coast with subsequent hurricanes. The original manifesto of the Atocha was impressive: 24 tons of silver in 1038 ingots, 180,000 Pesos in silver coins, 582 copper ingots, 125 gold bars and discs, 1,200 pounds of worked silverware and other goods; and that's only what was officially transported, since smuggling treasure to avoid taxes was very common in the period, with some estimating that a large percentage of the total cargo was in contraband. In 1969, treasure hunter Mel Fisher began a long-lasting, 16-year quest to locate the treasure. Over the years, isolated coins and artifacts were found scattered across Florida's "treasure coast", many given to investors who funded the operation. In 1973 three silver bars were found and matched to the original 17th century manifesto, leading the crew closer to the main wreck site. By 1980 a significant part of the Santa Margarita had been located, counting with gold bars, silver coins and jewelry. On July 20th, 1985, the motherlode was located, when divers found a "reef of bars". The main pile of the Atocha provided countless artifacts which quickly became immersed in Florida's pop culture and would later become perhaps the world's most famous shipwreck treasure in history.
Metal: Silver
More information about Mexican Coins. See also: Mexico World Coin Nationality.
Auction Info
2026 May 10 Spotlight: Shipwreck & Treasures featuring Selections from The Salvager Collection World Coins Showcase Auction #61620 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
May, 2026
10th
Sunday
Internet/Mail Bids: 48
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 428
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
22% of the successful bid per lot.
Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms | Ancient Coins Grading Tutorial
World and Ancient Coin Bibliography
Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms | Ancient Coins Grading Tutorial
World and Ancient Coin Bibliography