Arrrrrrr, come and get it, maties!
Posted on 05/30/2007 9:01:20 PM PDT by Flavius
If governments keep up this kind of nonsense, then either
a) NOBODY is going to try and retrieve lost treasures/artifacts anymore; or
b) people will still retrieve them, but in secret; and so whatever historical associations they had will be lost; and and gold and silver will be melted down to conceal its origin.
And # ‘b’ above is far more likely than # ‘a’.
Losers: weepers.
Actually it is the eeeeevil Halliburton's booty.
Actually, under the Bush-supported Law of the Sea Treaty, it probably would belong to the UN.
Arrrrrrr, come and get it, maties!
The Spainish government has to fund its socialism somehow.
You melt it down and you lose a lot of the value. Not only is it gold or silver, but they pay for the coins being so old and rare.
I believe in cases like this, its finders keepers. The Spanish government should go pound sand.
Yes, that is the Odyssey that has been salvaging shipwrecks pretty much, globally.
I can’t see their point in filing this suit. It’s only a drop in the bucket compared to what they need to become an actual economically functioning country.
I think the Golden Rule should apply: Those who recover the gold make the rules.
Of course they did! Euros trying to pick the pockets....bunch of lazy socialists...have to pay for their amnesty somehow.
If it was found in international waters I don’t see how Spain has a solid case. They will likely try to keep it tied up in court until the finders capitulate and give them a piece of the pie. I wonder if Spain has ever thought of suing Islam for the damages done by invasion. That would make as much, if not more sense.
“If the Spanish give too much trouble, melt it down or scatter it back over a deep part of the ocean.”
I like that idea. And I’m guessing that 25 to 35 feet ought to do the trick.
“I wonder what FReepers would say if the shoe was on the other foot?”
Tough Duck.
If it’s in international waters then Admiralty Law regarding salvage applies. I don’t think The Kingdom of Spain has any claim on a salvage in international waters, even it it was a ship belonging to the Spanish Crown.
Spain’s claim is laughable and ironic considering that the treasure was plundered from the New World to begin with. Plus, Spain had centuries to go retrieve it themselves. Sore losers, that’s what they are.
I agree with #21 that if governments are allowed to interfere, people will still retrieve them, but in secret; and so whatever historical associations they had will be lost; and and gold and silver will be melted down to conceal its origin.
It seems to me that treasure-seeking is a private business, and as long as people are willing to invest capital in a risky business enterprise, they should be entitled to large profits when they literally "hit gold".
What should we do, then? One factor that has not been considered is that these coins are history and as such they belong to the world. My suggestion would be to give a reasonable sample of the coins to both the Spanish and US governments, since the ship belonged to Spain but it was found off the coast of Florida. These coins could then be placed in a museum. The balance, and I'm talking here of the whole treasure minus those few samples, would belong to the people who found them (and other investors in their enterprise).
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