Not all treasure comes from shipwrecks. Some, like the cache of 45 Roman gold coins that made international news were found by armature free divers on vacation in Spain. Eight coins found by the men turned into 45 when the Spanish government returned to investigate.

Maybe the first rule of treasure hunting should be that no one will know about it if you keep it a secret, or invent an aunt from Spain who passed away. Then again, laws are laws.

Collectors Dashboard looks at several of these recent treasure anomalies that could peak the interest of even the most callused coin collector. Collectors Dashboard Summer review of shipwreck finds.

NEW ROMAN COINS FOUND IN A DIVE

One of the largest sets of Roman gold coin finds began with eight coins found on August 24th, 2021 and grew by 45 more. The team of scientists from the University of Alicante were able to age the coins to 1,500 years ago.

The scenario described by the team was one where an impending evasion by barbarians caused a wealthy land owner to stored them underwater in a wooden chest that long ago disintegrated.

According to CNN, “Three date from Valentinian I, seven from Valentinian II, 15 from Theodosius I, 17 from Arcadius, 10 from Honorius and there is one unidentified coin.”

SHIPWRECK COIN AUCTIONS LIVE NOW

Heritage Auctions has shipwreck coins from the Atocha to the S.S. Central America. The S.S. Central America is the United States equivalent to the Spanish governments loss of gold and silver in the Atocha wreck. Here are some of Heritage Auctions current (Oct. 7, 2021-end) shipwreck coins available:

• Philip III “Atocha” Shipwreck Cob 4 Reales ND (1598-1603) P-B VF (Saltwater Damage)
• Charles III 3-Piece Lot of Certified “El Cazador” Shipwreck Reales 1783 Mo-FF Genuine NGC
• Charles III Pair of Certified “El Cazador” Shipwreck 8 Reales 1783 Mo-FF Genuine NGC
• 1856-S $20 Variety 17F, Full Serif, Low S, AU55 PCGS. CAC. Ex: S.S. Central America
• 1857-S $20 Spiked Shield, Variety 20A, S.S. Central America With Pinch, MS64 PCGS. Ex: S.S. Central America (Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions)

FLORIDA SHIPWRECK

Treasure and Shipwreck Recovery Inc. is partnered with Gold Hounds LLC and makes a business finding treasure in Central Florida. The report on September 13th announces finds that go beyond coins to also include shards of pottery, cannonballs, and intact glass jars.

The press release reported by Yahoo! Finance discuses the future they see is bright and they feel they are actually on a major wreck site. We all grew up with stories of the hoards of coins from the Atocha but this is a company that has gone mainstream with shareholders and up to date analysis of proven treasure sites. The company website describes the innovative business:

“TSR (Stock Quote BLIS) is providing this update for current shareholders, as to our huge amount of advancements that we have made in becoming fully operational on known proven treasure sites under perpetual permits, with proven treasure finding partners, a vast amount of new equipment, taking on vessels for recovery through the summer months, large scaled investment received from select parties at set rates, the taking on of a Brokerage representative, new director and officers, and a complete crew for operations. We will be establishing a social media and complete online presence to expand our brand identity and inform the world of our expected short-term successes. TSR is fulfilling all of its business and operational activities, while maintaining corporate financial and equity integrity as promised under our business model.”

THE AMBER ROOM HAS BEEN FOUND… MAYBE

Across the pond a jewel studded room – The Amber Room – from the Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg, Russia is believed to have been found in a ship wreck discovery in the Baltic Sea. The room was dismantled by the Nazis and the ship its believed to be on was sunk in April, 1945.

Polish amateur divers first found the wreck last year in 2020 according to the British news outlet the mirror. A replica in place today of the room shows the liberal use of gold inlay and what can be assumed from the photograph what looks to be replicated jewel studded work on the walls.

There are some catches here to this story. The recovery of this treasure is its 289 ft. down and 43 miles off the coastal town of Ustka. This salvage also comes with a stark reminder and potential warning that the boxes discovered are not certain to contain the packed up remnants of the famed Amber Room but merits the tough expedition of finding out for sure.

HOW ABOUT SOME ANCIENT WINE BOTTLES

Smithsonian Magazine reported an Ancient Roman Shipwreck loaded with wine amphoras on the Sicilian Coast. Amphoras represent a wealth of knowledge about the time period and trade routes as foretold by the remnants of the things they carried. What should be understood about this discovery is the increasing number of small ship wrecks that are now able to be readily found. This ship was only transporting 50 of the amphoras, which were used for wine and olive oil among other food products. If a collector would want to own ancient amphoras sculpted by Roman hands eBay lists several and fragments as art to be displayed.

What should be highlighted is that new technologies and high precision instrumentation that not only allows a wreck so small to be discovered 302 feet down but also the ability to use small rovers and submersibles in the recovery process instead of human divers.

1800s COINS & POCKET WATCHES

Blue Waters Ventures International took the business of shipwreck treasure to the next level. Their Facebook page shows NGC graded Mint State five dollar coins from the 1830s. Meaning they also took the time to have them graded. The Steamship Pulaski’s boiler exploded July 14, 1838 and the recovery has been featured on the discovery channel show Expedition Unknown with the host Josh Gates. Hodinkee is Mecca for all things watches and reported on the sale of pocket watches recovered by Blue Water Ventures International. Here is the press releases for treasure found this summer:

“Blue Water Ventures International, Inc. (OTCPK: BWVI) and joint venture partners Endurance Exploration Group (OTCPK: EXPL) and Swordfish Partners are excited to share a summer update on the recovery efforts on the SB Pulaski site off the coast of North Carolina. We have continued following the debris line discovered from the side scan sonar work completed in early June. These efforts have produced over 100 silver coins with various dates and nationalities and 32 gold coins. All of the gold coins recovered to date are US minted $5 and Quarter Dollar coins struck in the early 1830s. All coins are currently with Numismatic Guarantee Corp undergoing conservation, grading and valuation.”

Blue Water recovery team will continue to work the new areas of the Pulaski site as weather permits. Keith Webb, Blue Water President and CEO, comments, “This is best start to a season we have had in a while. I am very proud of the guys pulling together and getting the job done on the Pulaski Project. It is very rewarding to see our planning come together and pay off so far this season.”

In addition to working on site during June and July, the Blue Water Rose crew hosted the film crew from well-known television show Expedition Unknown, which airs Wednesdays on the Discovery Channel. The Blue Water divers did a terrific job of working with the film crew and positioning their guests for the best possible locations for a successful show. Check out their Facebook page for the link to the show episode.

GOING BACK TO THE TITANIC

New technologies seem to be the theme this past Summer. OceanGate Expeditions finished testing a historic new submersible called the Titan. The Titan is the worlds only 5 person 13,123 ft. diving capable vehicle. This sub was used to explore the Shipwreck Titanic in ways never before thought possible including sections of the ship never before captured on film. Stockton Rush, OceanGate Inc. co-founder and submersible pilot, said:

“It took six years to develop, and stress test the world’s most advanced five person submersible, Titan. We are proud to have engineered and deployed the first successful use of sensor-instrumented carbon fiber in a deep diving human occupied submersible.”

The OceanGate team that operates this submersible includes a former astronaut pilot Dr. Scott Parazynski who is a member of the astronaut hall of fame. He is on the record as saying according to the press release:

“Titan is a complex undersea vehicle that’s designed, built and tested to the highest of aerospace standards. I’ve always been impressed by the talented OceanGate team and their focus on placing safety first, making these extremely deep-water dives possible time after time.”

AND WHAT TO FINALLY THINK…….

What can be concluded from the 2021 Summer of Shipwreck salvages and operations is that technology is leading the way in each incredible find. The collector and investor will have opportunities ahead to both bid and own a diverse range of artifacts that can be recovered. News sources that Collectors Dashboard aggregates daily are faster in reporting treasure soon to be available to the collector.