The Half Reale salvage crew finds an ornate solid gold “jewelry box” containing a seven-emerald gold cross, a large woven chain, and two gold-and-emerald rings. Found at the Cabin Wreck site near Sebastian, Florida. (The cross was auctioned at Guernsey’s of New York as part of the “Mel & Deo Fisher Collection” in August 2015).
Our Treasure of the Month for June is this triple dated 1686 silver eight reales coin from the Spanish colonial mint at Potosi. It is rare indeed to find two dates on a Potosi eight reales coin as the dates were typically off the planchet when the coin was struck. But here we have an …
Mel Fisher finds the “carpet of gold” – 1,033 pieces of gold discovered at the Douglass Beach wreck site.
The 1715 Fleet Society continues to make a history of its own. On Saturday, May 20, 2023, Society President, Ben Costello, announced the Society’s acquisition of the complete 770-volume library of Ernie “Seascribe” Richards. Ernie, who was a founding member of the Society, has been a fixture in the Treasure Coast community since the 1960s. …
Library of Fleet Historian Ernie Richards acquired by Society Read More »
Lou Ullian of Merritt Island an original member of the Real Eight Company dies at the age of 78. Read Lou Ullian’s Obituary HERE.
Here are some articles from The Fort Pierce News-Tribune that we found very interesting. Those who are familiar with Kip Wagner’s epic Pieces of Eight published in 1966 recall that in Chapter 7 he relates the early efforts of his team (later known as the Real Eight Company) to salvage a wreck off of the …
Josh “Captain Redbeard” Scott (Follow @redbeardsrelics — instagram.com/redbeardsrelics)Link to Captain Redbeard’s original post on Instagram: instagram.com/p/CkreJzlDc7w/ This exquisite original map of Iceland dates to 1585! Created by etching a copper plate, applying ink, and pressing the plate onto paper, this map was beautifully hand painted. This map is museum-quality! When I saw it at @blrmaps, I …
Coins magazine, a staple of the numismatic community, recently announced that it was ceasing publication after 68 years. The cover of the first issue of Coins in January 1962 had a shipwreck/treasure theme so we thought it would be fitting to mention it here. We have a copy of this in our archive collection. The …
Articles of Incorporation filed by the Real Eight Company. (The company lasted until 1984 when it was dissolved on November 21 of that year.)
Ubilla’s New Spain Fleet clears Vera Cruz harbor for a month long sail to Havana.
As a follow-up to my post on April 22 (you can read the post HERE), we are happy to announce that the reprint of Volume 1 of Treasures of a Lost Fleet is ready for purchase and delivery. Our Board of Directors has approved the following price: In response to the last email, I have …
Here are some very interesting archival images recently donated to the Society by Dave Crooks (member # 7). In Image 1 Kip Wagner, Mel Fisher, and Walt Holzworth are seen examining a group of silver coins that were recently removed from a large clump (or aggregate) recovered from one of the wreck sites of the …
The Real Eight Company opens its first museum, “The Gallery of Spanish Treasure”, in Satellite Beach, Florida. (An invitation-only private opening was held the night before).
Our Treasure of the Month for May is a continuation of our enchantment with encrusted objects (or EO’s) and coin clumps (officially known as “aggregates”). Our featured treasure this month is a clump of approximately twenty five silver eight and four reales reportedly recovered in the dunes opposite the site of the Cabin Wreck located …
The long-awaited reprint of Volume I of Treasures of a Lost Fleet is now complete. Baker and Taylor Publishers of Ashland, Ohio finished the reprint on April 13. The books will be picked up on April 26 and ready for sale in May. The 1715 Fleet Society Board of Directors will be meeting next week to determine …
Image: The remnants of a shipwreck seen at Volusia County Beaches near Daytona Beach, Florida. (Facebook/Volusia County Beaches) Here is an interesting article that caught my eye. Near Daytona beachcombers spotted an unusual object. Thought to be the remains of a shipwreck, archaeologists from the state will be examining the mysterious item on Monday. Given …
Here is an article from The Daily Times (Melbourne, Florida) December 2, 1965. (NOTE: Some background to this story is needed. In 1965 then Secretary of State, Tom Adams, attempted to tighten control over Florida waters’ treasure-hunting activities. At that time, the Real Eight Company was the principal leaseholder and salvage operator on the wreck …
From the Fleet Society Archives — December 2, 1965 Read More »
Fleet Society member Jeremy Watherston (#145) who resides in Australia recently co-authored a major article on DNA testing of human remains from shipwrecks. Jeremy works in forensic science and operates one of the state’s Forensic Biology Units and is an Industry/Professional Fellow with the University of Technology Sydney and an Adjunct Associate Professor with Charles …
Greetings. This is Ben Costello, President of the 1715 Fleet Society. Since the launch of our website in 2011 we have made an ongoing effort to keep our it fresh, interesting, and, above all, educational. This includes providing regular features (like our Treasure of the Month and This Day in Fleet History) as well as …
Josh “Captain Redbeard” Scott (Follow @redbeardsrelics — instagram.com/redbeardsrelics)Link to Captain Redbeard’s original post on Instagram: instagram.com/p/CoI1ALPjsN0/ This is the crown jewel in my treasure chest collection. An absolutely stunning specimen of a chest that is nearly 400 years old! These chests were made in Germany by the same blacksmiths that made the suits of armor …
