Description: This NGC-certified uncirculated Genuine 1772 Inverted FM Mexico Silver 8 Reales was recovered from the famous shipwreck of the Spanish Galleon El Cazador. The coin is made of 0.9 silver fineness and features a milled bust-type design. The obverse of the coin features the likeness of then-King of Spain Carolus (Charles) III, and the reverse features the Spanish Royal Coat of Arms. It was minted at the Mexico City (MO) mint in 1772. TheVERYRAREinverted Assayer's letters and mint mark variety is seldom encountered and is especially desirable in this high state of preservation. TheEl Cazador(meaningThe Hunterin English) was a Spanishbrigthat sank in theGulf of Mexicoin 1784. In the 1770s the Spanish Louisiana Territorys economy was faltering due to paper money that was not backed by silver or gold. Carlos III, King of Spain, decided to replace the worthless currency with valuable Spanish silver coins. On October 20th, 1783, Charles III of Spainsent her on a mission to bring much-needed hard currency to the Spanish colony ofLouisianain order to stabilize the currency. The ship sailed toVeracruz, Mexico, where she was loaded with approximately 450,000Spanish reales. To be more precise, she was loaded with silver Spanish coins, mostly 8 reales, Pieces of Eight, It carried 400,000 silver pesos and another 50,000 pesos worth of smaller change, of various dates. At one ounce to the peso, and 12 troy ounces to the pound, that's 37,500 pounds of silver. King Carlos III enlisted his most trusted captain, Gabriel de Campos y Pineda, to command the ship. On 11 January 1784, she sailed forNew Orleans, and was never heard from again.Spains attempts to locate the ship were unsuccessful and in June 1784,El Cazadorwas officially listed as missing at sea. Some historians speculate that had El Cazador made it to New Orleans, and its treasure been able to bolster the economy, Spain might not have given the territory back to France in 1801. And, in turn, the United States would not have been able to acquire it for 15 million dollars in 1803 (60 million francs) from the French. Napoleon was Emperor of France in 1803 (The Napoleonic Wars raged from 1803-15), and the 60 million francs were supposed to be used for the construction of five new canals in France. Instead, Bonaparte spent the whole amount on his planned invasion of the United Kingdom, which was eventually scrapped. Two hundred years later, on August 2nd, 1993, about 50 miles south of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, the butterfish trawler, Mistake, and its captain Jerry Murphy were fishing in 300 feet of water when her net snagged something on the bottom.When the crew hoisted the net and dumped the contents on the deck, they found the net was filled with silver coins. The coins bore markings from the Spanish mint in Mexico, along with the date 1783. Coins with dates other than 1783 are considered rare finds from this shipwreck as most were from the year 1783. Being both a rare error coin type for this issue and additionally being recovered from the remains of a very famous shipwreck makes this coin an exceptionally rare and desirable find. This amazing coin is perfect for any collector looking to add a valuable piece to their collection or as a great gift.
Price: 349.99 USD
Location: Redondo Beach, California
End Time: 2024-11-08T03:25:18.000Z
Shipping Cost: 10 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Composition: Silver
Certification Number: 4351411-495
Color: Silver
Fineness: 0.9
Grade: Genuine
Certification: NGC
Circulated/Uncirculated: Uncirculated
Denomination: 8 Reales
Design: Milled Bust-Type
Historical Period: Colonial (up to 1821)
Year: 1772
Country/Region of Manufacture: Mexico
Variety: El Cazador Shipwreck