Memento from the disastrous voyage of the 1641 Spanish Treasure Fleet

Mexico 1634-41MOP 8 Reales, Philip IV.

This coin was recovered from the wreck of Nuestra Señora de la Pura Y Limpia Concepción, which sank off the coast of Hispaniola on October 31, 1641. She was the Capitana (lead ship) of the treasure fleet of 1641 bound for Spain carrying treasure for the crown. She was originally built in Havana, Cuba in the 1620's. For her last voyage she set out from Mexico to bring the Crown much needed silver to fund Spain's war against the French and Dutch.

She got to Havana, Cuba, set out and had to return after being battered at sea by a storm. The ship was poorly repaired and got caught in another hurricane off of St. Augustine, Florida. The ship diverted to Puerto Rico for urgent repairs but floundered off the coast of Hispaniola after running into into a reef and eventually sank. Only 192 out of 534 crew and passengers survived.



There were coins recovered in the 1960s, and again in the 1980s and 1990s. The wreck has pretty much been stripped of all silver coins at this point. Though what was found was but a fraction as a lot of silver was recovered in the 1640s by Spanish salvagers.

The above coin was found in the 1980s



Here is roughly what Concepción would have looked like.

 

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Amazing coin and story! Thanks for sharing. Love shipwreck coins.

 

Pretty cool! I only have a small shipwreck cob.