The Shipwreck Corner

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This is another amazing coin @lordmarcovan and another coin and shipwreck I had never heard of. This topic appears to cover every period and every continent.

 

SS Longships launched 1917 lost 1939.

This is a coin I found on Ebay last year ( last month actually ). It was recovered from the SS LONGSHIPS shipwreck of 1939 lost on the Seven Stones Reef.





SS Longships struck the Seven Stones reef, midway between Lands End and the Isles of Scilly, whilst on passage Belfast to Plymouth with a general cargo. The crew were rescued by the St. Mary's lifeboat and landed at Scilly. Most of the cargo was lost when she broke her back a week after grounding.
Fortunately there was no loss of life from this sinking.
The coin itself is very common but to find one recovered from a shipwreck adds some cachet. The coin came in a presentation case with a COA and two photographs. I believe my bid didn't even pay for the photographs and box so I am grateful for an honest Ebayer for honouring my bid which was only a quarter of what I could have paid if others had bid.
The seller is a well known diver who was involved in several historical wreck salvages. These are his listing comments.

"This only came to light when my son in law's father unfortunately died recently and these were in his possession as they had been taken from the wreck by his grandfather . I have lived on Scilly since 1969 and I never knew anything was salvaged from this wreck . Since finding the coins however it seems that a lot of Islanders spent Boxing Day 1939 collecting what they could as the ship carried a general cargo .Someone must have opened the safe and a package of these coins were found Many had their first suits from this ship ! "

 

Not sure @lordmarcovan, it's probably me. I don't see them either so I will try reloading and editing.

 

I'm not sure what is happening as I am copying and pasting but when I try to save from a web page I cannot convert to JPEG. I will photograph the whole bundle and edit tomorrow.

 

Here's a pillar dollar that I purchased in 2009 from Dan Sedwick. It is from the Auguste, which sank in 1761 off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Coins from this wreck were auctioned in 2008 by a Canadian firm. Included with the pillar dollars were some 8 reales cobs from Potosi and French écus. As with all salvaged coins, condition varied from lot to lot. I actually was able to obtain a Potosi 8 reales cob during the auction, and I will photographed when I locate it in the nether regions of the boxes.

Mexico, 8 reales, Ferdinand VI, 8 reales, 1758 (narrow date), assayer MM. Salvaged from the Auguste (1761), certificate #0334.
KM 104.2
26.7 grams




For more information about this wreck, here's a Wikipedia link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_(1758_ship)

 

AKERENDAM SHIPWRECK SALVAGE 1972

Recovered from the wreckage of the Akerendam in 1972 off the coast of Norway. All known 1724 ducats are from this wreckage.The Akerendam, was a newly built vessel which set sails from an island called Texel in Netherlands on January 19, 1725. The Akerendam was a part of the Dutch merchant fleet, headed for Batavia (Indonesia) loaded with gold and silver coins to be used for the trade of spices in the Far East. The ship got caught in a storm in the North-Sea, and Akerendam disappeared into the North Sea. The ship went down on the north side of the island of Runde on the Norwegian coast, and the whole crew of 200 was lost at sea!


Country: NETHERLANDS (Utrecht)
Type: Ducat Date: 1724
Certification: NGC #1877952-016 Grade: MS 63

Coin Information:
Design: OBVERSE: Legend around inner circle with standing knight in full armor holding a sword and a sheaf of arrows. The arrows signify the unity of the northern provinces, which banded together and signed the union of Utrecht in 1579, which was there declaration of independence from Spain. Legend – “CONCORDIA RES PARVAE CRESCUNT” translates “Union Makes Small Things Grow” ~ REVERSE: Legend or motto on tablet. “MONETA ORDINUM PROVINCIARUM FOEDERATARUM BELGII AD LEGEM IMPERII” translates “Coin of the Provinces of the United Netherlands According to the Law of The Empire”

Mint: Utrecht
Mintage: 6,505

References: KM #7 / Fr.285 / Delmonte - Unlisted

Specifications: Diameter – 21.0 mm
Weight – 3.5100 g. @ 0.9860 Gold = .1113 oz AGW

Acquired: Doug Prather – October 2006

Notes:

• This date is not referenced in Delmonte's work because a ducat from this date was not known to exist at the time of his books publishing in 1962. You could reasonably assume a Rarity Scale = R.2 - Very Rare.
• "Nouveau" type design (Delmonte)
• Issued as trade coinage by Netherlands for use in their East Indies colony and issued them without change of type (except for date) from 1814 until 1938.
  

 

Thanks!

Yes, some coins salvaged from some areas of the ocean are just more corroded than others. It must have to do with the salinity of the water which can vary, with the colder parts having a somewhat lower salt content than warmer parts. Still, even with the colder waters off Nova Scotia, some of the coins salvaged are quite corroded/eroded. I guess it all depends on where a given coin is located in the pile or chest.

 

I believe you hit the nail on the head @robinjojo , salinity and of course in some areas such as Europe, strong tides.
These two coins came from the Sao Jose which was salvaged in the Mozambique Straits with strong currents.
If you look at a São José coin, it often looks "smooth" or has soft, rounded details compared to a "Grade 1" Atocha coin. I believe there are two main reasons for this:

The São José sank in relatively shallow water on a coral reef in an area with extremely high surge and currents.
For nearly 400 years, the coins were tossed around in a slurry of abrasive sand and coral fragments. I call this the "Maytag" effect.
I picked this set up inexpensively on Ebay and was very pleased as these are,in my opinion, the definitive East Indies Spice Trade coins. Most I've seen are a bright matt white and are overshadowed by Atocha coins so can still be picked up reasonably.
I think the comment "prestigious Shipwreck effect" is somewhat overstated.




These are the original sale details.
KINGDOM_EMPIRE MEXICO UNDER SPAIN
TITLE SAN JOSE SHIPWRECK COIN SET
DENOMINATION REALES
UNIT 8 & 4 REALES
DATE 1618-1622
MATERIAL SILVER
RULER PHILIP III / IV
REGION MEXICO
MINT MEXICO
CATALOG
CONDITION Grade 2
CERTIFIEDBY NGC
OBVERSE Mexico 8 Reales (1618-1622) # Grade 2 Shipwreck Effect
Mexico 4 Reales (1618-1622) # Grade 2 Shipwreck Effect
Elegant hardwood presentation case with inlaid detailing, protective lock, and key.
Certificate of Authenticity signed by the CEO and Co-founder of Arqueonautas Worldwide, confirming the origin and authenticity of these historical artifacts.
Historical Significance:
Bound for Goa, the Sao José ship was part of a fleet dispatched from Lisbon in 1622, transporting royal treasure for the Portuguese Empire. After fierce battles and enduring Dutch and British attacks, the Sao José tragically sank off Mozambique's coast. Rediscovered nearly 400 years later in 2005, these coins serve as tangible relics from a pivotal period in maritime history.

NGC Certified: Professionally authenticated and graded by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), these coins bear the prestigious "Shipwreck Effect" certification, ensuring their provenance and increasing collectible value.

Condition:
Coins: Preserved and encapsulated, bearing typical #shipwreck effect# patina reflecting centuries underwater.
Presentation Box: Overall excellent condition, with very minor signs of storage wear (visible in photos).

 

Just for fun, I composed a list of 20 Shipwreck coins I own or are on my radar as acquisitions. There are another 20 to consider including several Dutch vessels such as the Akerendam and De Liefde. I have an example of those with an asterisk and more than one where I have shown two asterisks and I am open to trade.
I have rated them as easily available " High" to "Rare". My next "must haves" are a 1715 Fleet 2 Escudos and SS Central America Double Eagle. I recently traded some Morgan Dollars for my Doddington Clive of India 6400 Reis that I will post soon. I have many more Morgan dollars but all raw.

Rank Shipwreck Coin Type Est. Market Availability Key Feature
1 SS Central America $20 Gold Double Eagle High "Ship of Gold"; NGC/PCGS label.
2* Atocha Silver 8 Reales (Cob) High Must have Mel Fisher COA.
3 1715 Fleet Gold 2 Escudos (Cob) Moderate Florida Treasure Coast find.
4 Doddington Gold Star Pagoda Scarce Clive of India; Spink pedigree.
5* The Concepcion Silver 8 Reales (Cob) Moderate Potosi Cobs; Burt Webber salvage.
6* Doddington Gold 6400 Reis Scarce Look for the "Broken 1" (1750-R).
7* The Hollandia Silver Pillar Dollar Moderate Iconic Pillars & Waves design.
8* SS Republic Lib. Seated Half Dollar High Civil War; "Shipwreck Effect" lustre
9 The Chameau Gold Louis d'Or Rare French shipwreck gold.
10** HMS Association Silver Shilling Moderate Admiral Shovell's British Naval fleet.
11 Santa Margarita Silver 8 Reales Scarce Sister ship to the Atocha.
12* The Reijgersdaal Silver Lion Dollar Moderate Dutch VOC; distinct Lion imagery.
13 The Feversham Pine Tree Shilling Rare Massachusetts Colonial rarity.
14** SS Cairo British India Rupee High Sunk by U-boat; WWII history.
15 SS Brother Jonathan $10 Gold Liberty Scarce California Gold Rush history.
16 The Maravillas Silver 2 or 4 Reales Scarce Unique markings; countermarks.
17** El Cazador Silver 8 Reales Very High "The Hunter"; very affordable.
18** The Douro Gold Sovereign Moderate High-grade Victorian gold.
19 The Hartwell Silver 8 Reales Moderate East Indiaman; Cape Verde.
20**Admiral Gardner Copper 10/20 Cash Very High Best entry-level shipwreck coin.