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Message:: [QUOTE="Lucky Cuss, post: 1844980, member: 44086"]Here's a piece I picked up a few weeks back (from a reputable dealer). It was presented as being likely a shipwreck salvage coin, and it certainly has that feel and look to it, particularly considering the slightly eroded area at the rim just above the bust's forehead. My thought is that, although there was no certification of any sort accompanying it, this 8 Reales most probably came from the El Cazador, the coins from which reportedly were in the main dated 1783 just as this one is. So here're my questions on this topic: 1) The cargo of the El Cazador supposedly consisted of about 450,000 coins. Does anybody know what the final tally was for those recovered? Also, what was the census as to dates and denominations? 2) It's my understanding that early on coins were sold directly with some sort of certificate of authenticity, and then the Franklin Mint got involved. I've seen examples recently certifed by NGC as being genuinely from the El Cazador, but I don't know what the source of those has been and what NGC accepted as constituting indisputable provenance. Can someone shed some additional light on the various stages of the marketing of these?[/QUOTE]