After seeing how fierce the hurricanes in the Caribbean can be, it’s no wonder why there are so many shipwrecks in that area. Can you imagine not having any idea how terrible a storm would be that you found yourself in. And then, if you survived the hours and sometimes days it took to make it to the eye of the hurricane, you still had a lot more to go. Incredible, but in those days that’s the way it was. Ships full of gold and silver never made it to their destination. Bullion and coins are still resting on the sea floor waiting to be discovered.

For over a century and a half, the S.S. Central America steamship was one of those ships that never made it to its destination. It sank during a hurricane in 1857 and was loaded with over 80 pounds of gold dust, 45 gold bars, and 3100 gold coins. $50 million worth of treasure. That is just one of the many shipwrecks that have been found and had their gold and silver treasure recovered.

Here is a list of just some of the sunken ships where gold and silver coins were recovered:

“Tumbaga wreck,” sunk ca. 1528 off Grand Bahama Island

“Golden Fleece wreck,” sunk ca. 1550 in the northern Caribbean

Spanish 1554 Fleet sunk off Padre Island, Texas

“Rill Cove wreck,” sunk ca. 1618 off Cornwall, England

Santa Margarita, sunk in 1622 west of Key West, Florida

Atocha, sunk in 1622 west of Key West, Florida

São José, sunk in 1622 off Mozambique

Maravillas, sunk in 1656 off Grand Bahama Island

“Taj Mahal treasure,” sunk ca. 1702 off Sri Lanka

Merestein, sunk in 1702 off South Africa

Joanna, sunk in 1682 off South Africa

Feversham, sunk in 1711 off Nova Scotia, Canada

Whydah, sunk in 1717 off Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Slot ter Hooge, sunk in 1724 off Porto Santo, Madeira Islands

Vliegenthart, sunk in 1735 off Zeeland, the Netherlands

Rooswijk, sunk in 1739 off southeast England

Cazador, sunk in 1784 off New Orleans, Louisiana

S.S. Camberwell, sunk in 1917 off the Isle of Wight, England

Authentic gold and silver shipwreck coins and artifacts are a specialty of Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC. Considered the world’s premier dealer of shipwreck coins, the catalog of coins they have are amazing. This is a “must see” selection of certified authentic coins. To hold one of these historical treasures is the dream of many serious numismatists. Take a look at what is currently available ► Sedwick Coins