Tradition has it that gold is a gift commonly found under the tree on Christmas morning (think engagement ring). Therefore, we thought it appropriate to feature gold as our Treasure of the Month for December. Our gold, however, is not in the shape of a ring. Rather, it is a nugget from the 1715 Fleet. There were not many gold nuggets found on Fleet wreck sites. In fact, they are rare.
Our nugget is nearly spherical and weighs 26.47 grams with a butter yellow color. The weight is very close to that of an eight escudo and probably traded as such in its time. Smooth and featureless with traces of grayish-white encrustation, our specimen is roughly 7/8” x 5/8” x ½”. Pedigreed to Sedwick Treasure Auction # 22.
Description courtesy of Daniel Frank Sedwick.
