The story of Dr. Will W. Orr and his friendship with Kip WagnerKip Wagner (1906 – 1972) was instrumental in the formation of the team that later became the Real Eight Company and one of the greatest salvage groups that ever explored the 1715 Fleet wrecks. He ... More is the central theme of the Orr Collection.
Assembled between 1966-1972, this Collection and the story behind it is brought together in a wonderful narrative written by Wilson W. Orr, son of Will W. Orr.
Dr. Orr was President of Westminster College (located in New Wilmington, PA) from 1949-1967. In the mid 60’s he became acquainted with Kip WagnerKip Wagner (1906 – 1972) was instrumental in the formation of the team that later became the Real Eight Company and one of the greatest salvage groups that ever explored the 1715 Fleet wrecks. He ... More and their friendship was fueled by a mutual interest in treasure. Dr. Orr admired Kip Wagner’s hard work and dedication. This admiration led to Kip being awarded an honorary Doctor of Science Degree from Westminster College in October 1966.
The narrative written by Dr. Orr’s son, which is contained in this post and found below, was prepared several years ago. Since that time, the entire Collection described in the narrative has been sold. The coins and material discussed in this post are no longer available. Although the Fleet Society was offered this entire Collection, lack of funds prevented the Society from acquiring this valuable legacy. Fortunately, the Society was able to purchase some of the items described by Dr. Orr’s son.
The Orr Collection
The Orr Collection documents can be viewed by clicking on the document links below.
- Provenance and Narrative – 1715 Plate Fleet Material
- Appendix 2 – 1715 loose coins and Certificates
- Appendix 3 – Memorabilia
We hope you will enjoy reading the narrative/provenance that describes the Collection.
Ben Costello
Director, 1715 Fleet Society
1 thought on “The Orr Collection”
Years ago, I acquired several of these coins through Steve Hodge, who had purchased many of these coins that were owned by Orr’s family. One of the coins I purchased was in a letter showing a group of coins with the prices and mentioned by Kip used for an article on Reale 8. This letter with the coins is in one of the stories included in the articles above.