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 »
Josh “Captain Redbeard” Scott (Follow @redbeardsrelics — instagram.com/redbeardsrelics)Link to Captain Redbeard’s original post on Instagram: instagram.com/p/CjtrZUHDmG8/ Here is something you don’t see every day! Dated to 1673, this set of French merchants’ scales is 100% complete and would have been used every day to verify the authenticity of any silver or gold coin. It is beyond rare
17th Century French Merchants Scale 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
Fleet Society Member Co-Authors Major Article Read More »
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
1715 Fleet Society Website Read More »
Greetings Fleet Society Members, You may or may not have already viewed the most recent post regarding an Armada Chest from the 1600s acquired by one of our members, Joshua Scott (aka “Captain Redbeard”). If you haven’t, click HERE. Josh Scott is a Spanish Colonial numismatist and enthusiast from Southern California. He operates Commodore Coins &
Now Featuring “Captain Redbeard” Read More »
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
Armada Chest from the 1600s! Read More »
Emeralds! That is the focus of our Treasure of the Month for April. These stones were an important part of the treasure recovered from the wreck sites of the 1715 Fleet. During the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries, raw emeralds from the mines of Colombia (both Chivor and Muzo) were being sent back to Spain on
April 2023 Treasure of the Month Read More »
Here is an interesting item for all of you sunken treasure enthusiasts. In this game, you can actually hunt for sunken treasure without getting a lease. No need to worry about investors or having a boat to maintain. No weather problems. You can search anytime, rain or shine. Best of all, you can keep everything
Vintage 1948 Sunken Treasure Board Game Read More »
Here is an article from The Daily Times (Melbourne, Florida) published November 18, 1965. (NOTE: It is not a well-known fact but in 1965 the Real Eight Company entered into an arrangement with the Parker Pen Company to manufacture writing instruments from silver recovered by Real Eight. The silver used came from coins that were
From the Fleet Society Archives – November 18, 1965 Read More »
In November of 2020, we started a new feature on our website from the archives of the Plus Ultra Newsletter. Those of you who are familiar with Plus Ultra know that it was published from 1983 until 2016 and was considered to be a leading authority on all things Fleet related. A regular feature of each issue was the “Cover
Cover Coin Series Ends Read More »
This article appeared in the August 11, 1955 edition of the Indian River News: (Note: The 1715 Fleet consisted of eleven Spanish ships, not fourteen. An additional French ship accompanied the other eleven ships, thereby making a total number of twelve ships that left the port of Havana on July 24, 1715 (not 1714). The
From the Fleet Society Archives — August 11, 1955 Read More »
Greetings Fleet Society Members: I want to advise you of a new initiative recently undertaken by the 1715 Fleet Society Board of Directors designed to allow for greater member participation in the Society’s business. The issue of member participation in what the Society will be doing as we advance has been of great concern to
New Regional Organization for 1715 Fleet Society Read More »
Greetings. For those of you who are members of the Society, or frequently visit our website, you may have noticed that the Society has taken an active part in promoting the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the upcoming ANA elections. We promote the ANA not only because it is a great organization but because it
1715 Fleet Society Endorses Patrick McBride and Phil Vitale for ANA Governors Read More »
This story appeared in the Orlando Sentinel about one month after members of the Real Eight Company made their first big recovery of silver coins on the Cabin Wreck site near Sebastian, Florida. It was reported that a “shroud of secrecy and confusion” hangs over salvage operations near Sebastian. This “confusion” was the result of
From the Fleet Society Archives — February 10, 1961 Read More »
Greetings. Recently I had the opportunity to talk to Fleet Society member Douglas Mudd (member # 90) who also happens to be the Curator/Director of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs. Following our conversation, I asked him to send me information on joining the ANA. Inasmuch as we have
Join The American Numismatic Association (ANA) Read More »
Our Treasure of the Month for March is a silver eight reales with an interesting provenance. This coin was part of a hoard popularly known as the “Bulldozer Hoard” or the “Bulldozer Bonanza.” The story behind this coin goes like this. In the mid-1970s, lifelong Florida resident and coin hunter John Durham was upset. He
March 2023 – Treasure of the Month Read More »
Kip Wagner, the founder of the Real Eight Company, dies at the age of 66.
This Day in Fleet History – February 26, 1972 Read More »
Image from Museum Kaap Skil: The Palmwood Wreck, a Dutch merchant ship that wrecked off the coast of Texel in 1660, was full of luxury goods. Divers retrieved them, and after years of study, the finds are on display at the Netherlands’ Museum Kaap Skil. One of the most striking discoveries was a virtually intact
Stunning Silver Wedding Dress Recovered From 17th Century Shipwreck Read More »
Greetings. Many of the visitors to our website (members and non-members alike) all have one thing in common…a passionate interest in the 1715 Fleet, its history, its loss, its rediscovery, and its recovery. But, in addition, many have an interest in other non-Fleet-related shipwrecks. Occasionally we will post an article about a shipwreck that had
Today in History Hunley Became First Combat Sub Read More »
The final major sale of Fleet gold from the Real Eight Company was held at the Bowers and Ruddy Galleries in Los Angeles. The sale featured over 300 gold coins and several gold artifacts including a 9 ½ ounce “Cast Gold Splash”. (NOTE: Lot # 5001 was previously featured as our Treasure of the Month
This Day in Fleet History – February 17-19, 1977 Read More »
