A retired couple could stand trial in France for selling gold from a French ship sunk in 1746.
By Jeff Williams
Gold, shipwrecks, and an international legal storm. A maritime mystery decades in the making may soon play out in a French courtroom, as an American cruising couple stands accused of selling gold allegedly looted from an 18th-century shipwreck.
The case centers on Le Prince de Conty, a French East Indiaman that sank in 1746 off the coast of Brittany, just miles from home after a two-year voyage from China. Rediscovered in the 1970s, the wreck has long intrigued divers, archaeologists, and maritime historians—especially after gold ingots and Chinese porcelain began to surface in private collections.
Now, Eleonor “Gay” Courter, a well-known Florida novelist, and her husband, Philip, are under scrutiny for allegedly selling some of those gold bars online, including at least one purchased by the British Museum. According to reports by The Times (UK), CBS News, and other sources familiar with the investigation, the couple maintains their innocence and says they were unaware of the bars’ questionable provenance.
Read the full article on Cruising World:
https://www.cruisingworld.com/people/florida-couple-sunken-treasure/
