Many a story plot has been constructed around the hunt for buried or sunken treasure. While they may sound farfetched, sometimes there’s truth behind the fiction. Things have been buried or lost at sea that have considerable value. Granted, these discoveries aren’t always of value in general. Sometimes it’s just the historic significance of the find. Other times, its the kind of find you think about when you hear the words “sunken treasure,” like this shipwreck off the coast of Florida yeilded.
The 1715 Fleet Society knows a lot about the history of treasure hunting off the coast of Florida and why there’s so much to be found there. The group is actually named after the year 1715 because of the circumstances that happened then which resulted in treasure being submerged in the area between Melbourne and Fort Pierce. On July 31st of that year, a hurricane went through the area, decimating a fleet of Spanish ships that were filled with gold and jewels, en route back to Spain. Centuries later, that gold is still being found today.
A recent large haul was brought in with over 1,000 pieces of silver and gold coins; a rarity when it comes to finding that much all at once. They’re valued at over a million dollars all together, which the state of Florida receives 20% of. Florida law only allows for salvage teams or individuals with permits to recover things from shipwrecks in waters that are owned by the state. As part of the agreement that comes with these permits, the state is entitled to 20% of the findings, after which the remaining material is property of the group that found it.
This find is also noteworthy because some of the coins still have the dating and minting marks on them, allowing for a bit more historical record keeping and investigation. Often, the material acquired by the state is put into museums for the public interest, making a find like this of even more interest to that sector of public interest. Who knows what else lurks beneath the waves off the Florida coast? Just make sure you get your permit if you’re looking to find out for yourself.
