Our Treasure of the Month for February is this gold chain and toothpick from the State of Florida Collection. Officially identified as 72A 018 000042 0001, this item was found at the Rio Mar WreckLocated in Vero Beach opposite the Rio Mar Golf Course. The capitana of the Terra Firma Fleet it was the largest galleon of the eleven Spanish ships leaving Havana harbor in 1715. Her official name wa... site just south of Vero Beach, Florida. This toothpick, or “grooming implement” is one of many that have been found on the 1715 wrecks. We have featured other such implements in prior posts. (See Treasure of the Month for July, 2013 and Treasure of the Month for November, 2015). Also, the John de Bry Collection of Fleet related treasure found on our Home page showcases many different types of grooming tools and toothpicks. (See Captions 6, 7, and 8 for representative examples).
We do not have information as to when this particular item was found but we do know that, for the most part, those found have a high carat content. Our featured treasure is currently on display at the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee.
