Posted on 06/11/2025 7:11:11 AM PDT by V_TWIN
Officials claim they used coins discovered inside a shipwreck off the coast of Colombia to prove the doomed vessel is the legendary San José that was carrying a $20 billion treasure when it sank.
The Colombian government used an unmanned vehicle to inspect the wreckage of the 18th-century craft to prove it has found the lost Spanish galleon.
The submersible carried out a non-intrusive investigation to document areas of the shipwreck that have yet to be photographed that contained coin-like objects, according to a study from Antiquity.
Coins found in a hoard area in the ship’s stern were photographed and analyzed.
Scientists used photogrammetry on the images to produce 3-D models of the treasure, along with models of similar coins, to determine its age and origin.
Engraved markings revealed the coins were minted in 1707 in Lima, Peru.
Heraldic symbols bear the crests of the crowns of Castile and Leon, indicating a Hispanic galleon, the study found.
The coins also bear a Jerusalem Cross, Columns of Hercules, sea waves, and symbols denoting the Lima mint and the number 8 for “Escudo de 8,” the type of coin.
“Coins are crucial artifacts for dating and understanding material culture, particularly in shipwreck contexts,” lead researcher Daniela Vargas Ariza in the study. “Hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins — known as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanish — served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
PING!
Pieces of Eight, me Hearties! Tons of treasure! Arrrrgh!.................
swim, shovel, shut-up
Amazing find!
Sort of “mint” condition…
Arrrrrrgh matie. Blow me down!
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered that the shipwreck be preserved and the treasure exhumed from the bottom of the ocean by the time his term ends in 2026.
Gotta have a retirement fund! Lol!
Thanks! Shiver me timbers!
It's gettin' Real out there, folks.
ISWYDT....................
Yeah but did they find any bitcoin wallets?
Minting coins in the new world in 1707, that’s wild.
Spain had been active in the new world for more than 200 years, and had access to gold and silver early in that period, in Mexico, and the west coast of South America. Coins were certainly possible.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
