Hello everyone, Another recently acquired item. Small but historical. In 1784, the Spanish brig of war El Cazador (The Hunter) vanished without a trace in the winter sea while carrying a fortune in silver to New Orleans. The shipwreck, dubbed "The Shipwreck that Changed the World", wasn't discovered until 1993 by Captain Jerry Murphy, who accidentally pulled up a clump of Spanish silver coins in his fishing net. Cargo: Nearly 450,000 silver pesos (almost 14 tons), including over 400,000 Spanish 8 reales, intended to stabilize the Spanish monetary system in colonial North America. Loss: The ship disappeared on January 11, 1784, and was later found to have sunk in 300 feet of water, 50 miles from its destination. Impact: The loss of the silver destabilized the Spanish currency in Louisiana, eventually leading to Spain relinquishing control of the territory to France in 1800. Three years later, France sold the Louisiana territory to the United States in the "Louisiana Purchase", doubling the size of the US. Discovery: Captain Jerry Murphy accidentally discovered the shipwreck site on August 2, 1993 while fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Ironically, his boat was named the "Mistake".
I like it!! But please don't throw it in the hole on oak island for Gary to find we will never hear the end of it,
I appreciate shipwreck finds for their historical value. Putting this piece, in this shipwreck, in the larger context of it's huge impact on history makes it more interesting. I don't really personally like the shipwreck effect corroded look, and the (often) huge premiums aren't worth it for my collection... but I can appreciate why people like these.
I do find it interesting that they called this piece a "fragment" when it isn't broken at all... it is intentionally cut. They had 8 reales coins, and to make smaller coinage they would cut them into pieces. The size you have would have been "one bit" (one real). Two bits would have been a quarter of a dollar, so you've got a 12.5 cent piece. The weight of the US dollar was based on the "real de a ocho"... you've heard the term "pieces of 8"... literally means an 8 reales coin, which weighed 27 grams. This was approximately the weight of a US silver dollar.
A nice little piece of history A nice little piece oh history. Sometimes good things come in small packages. Congratulations on the pick up. Bruce
