Description:
MEXICO, Mexico City, gold cob 1 escudo, (1712) J, mintmark oM, crosslet cross, NGC AU details / removed from jewelry (1715 Fleet Shipwreck Label).
S-M30; KM-51.1; Cal-1737; Fr-7c. 3.36 grams. Bold full oMJ to left of full shield in style of 1712 or earlier (triangular compartment above and left of central fleurs), bold full cross with deep toning on that side, well-centered strike. (NGC #6915700-001) Code: 112404191011
1715 Fleet, east coast of Florida
The 1715 Fleet disaster was one of the worst for Spanish treasure fleets, with 14 million pesos lost (plus contraband) and over 1,000 lives. Comprising the *Nueva España* and *Tierra Firme* fleets, it encountered a hurricane on July 30, driving all but one ship ashore. Survivors awaited rescue while salvage operations began shortly after, recovering about half of the registered treasure before British raiders seized 350,000 pesos in 1716. The Spaniards ceased recovery efforts in 1719.
Modern salvage began in the late 1950s, led by Kip Wagner, who found coins and artifacts and formed the Real Eight Company. These efforts yielded vast treasures, including the world’s largest source of New World gold cobs and hundreds of thousands of silver cobs. Notable auctions and promotions followed.
Despite numerous publications, there’s no consensus on the identity of vessels at wreck sites. Salvagers named sites after landmarks, like “Pines” (Sebastian) and “Corrigans” (Vero Beach). Most artifacts are broadly labeled as “1715 Fleet.”