the states 25 percent

[cpt scuba]

as i have been interested in shipwrecks and have read and watched the state of fl collect its share my question is where is it all at is there a stste museum i dont know about between the 1733 and 1715 wrecks the state must have a whartehouse full or has it all slip into state employees pockets over the years

 

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[FISHEYE]

no one really knows what they did with all the treasure.from what i hear its in u-store it types of places.on the mantles of former state archies,politicians and who knows who else.for the public we do have this thing called the freedom of information act.if you really want to find out where all the treasure has gone.start to file some papers.i would be really interested in the outcome.(heads are gonna roll)cause i was disapointed the last time i went to a state run museum an saw nothing but replicas of gold coins and other artifacts.

 

[cpt scuba]

yea after a while even pirates like us get tired of being scr;[/%ed esp without a kiss. other great thing about fl is they can buy all this land with tax money but tax payers cant get on it. at least out west they have public lands and the public gets to actually use it

 

[Peg Leg]

I believe that when Mel Fisher was ROBBED by the State it was stored in what the State of Florida said was a Safe abd Secured location BUT when Mel WON his case in Court 33% of EVERYTHING WAS MISSING.
You do what you gotta do.
Peg Leg

 

[cpt scuba]

sad that on one hand the state can hang you but they answer to no one in a matter like this wonder if enough evidence could be collected to make a case and if you did win what have you got you know there is nothing in storage anywhere to get

 

[wreckdiver1715]

The majority of the State of Florida's share of the shipwreck treasures are stored in the old jail house up in Tallahassee.

 

[tezz5]

What a lovely state to live in Florida must be!!Its great to see that pirates are now shorebound landlubbers that thieve all the terrific things meant for the residents in Museums,.,.,.thank christ I live in a country that puts every item taken from a wreck on display,..,,.,.,.Viva Australia!
Tezz

 

[Donovan]

I participated in and photographed the division of treasure with Mel Fisher and the State Archives and History on Atocha. Only two items were missing, They had simply been filed wrong and were returned a few months later. I never saw an artifact on any state employees desk unless it was being studied at the time. True, some items were lost in cleaning because they were two delicate to survive. These days, three decades later, we have developed techniques to preserve very delicate objects.
The R. A. Grey building in Tallahassee is the repository for treasure and The museum for the state. It also houses a state of the art preservation laboratory.
The only state official who was a pain was an UW archaeologist who left in 1972. Last I heard he was doing hard time at Raiford prison for killing his wife and wounding a police officer.
Splash,
Donovan

 

[rgecy]

Donavan,
I read somewhere just recently that there were quite a few items missing from the confiscated Atocha Treasure when the State returned it and appraisers had to be brought in to evaluate and put a price on the missing items!

Robert in SC

 

[Donovan]

Not true.....I was there.
Donovan

 

[rgecy]

Good to know! I didn't mean to dispute your word or imply you were wrong, but I just read that recently and it kind of stuck with me. I will try to locate the book (or article) and post it here. Makes for a good discussion on what really happened (from the people who were there), and what has been published!

Robert in SC

 

[Donovan]

There are a lot of myths passed on like gossip to make things more interesting or more sinister. When I was younger I used to enhance stories a bit. After working with Fisher I realized that the truth is far more interesting. About the only time I enhance stories these days is when they are a joke on me.
The State people that I worked with were professional and honest. They all had great reverence for the artifacts they handled. They all felt it was a rare privilege and a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with the 1622 materials.
One told me that holding an artifact in his hands was the closest he could come to time travel.
I was shooting Fishers adventures as a journalist. My camera went anywhere I wanted and possibly a few places where I should not have gone.
Get the book, "Fatal Treasure" by Jedwin Smith. It is the most recent and one of the most accurate on Fisher.
Donovan

 

[IrishCharlieM]

Donovan. Were you an employee of the state, or did you work for Mel. Who is to say that bye the time you arrived the items had not already been removed, Or who is to say that the items have not disappeared after you were there that day....That must have been an incredible day, who was it that asked that you be present to photograph the occasion. Do you still have the photo's can you post some.

 

[Donovan]

I was a self employed free lance photographer. I started shooting pictures of Mel in 1971. I worked with him full time from 1971 till 1986. I found the first gold on the Atocha.... 8 and a half feet of gold chain. In 1972 I went under contract with National Geographic for both the magazine and television divisions.Currently I am a member of the board of directors for the Mel Fisher museum. Go to www.melfisher.org then click on Mel and Me. Few of my pictures from that time are digital. Most of my pics have been donated to the Mel Fisher museum. You will just have to wait for my book.
Splash,
Don Kincaid

 

[Donovan]

Correction.... the web site has just been changed a bit.
Go to www.melfisher.org/kincaid.htm
enjoy

 

[wreckdiver1715]

Don, first off let me welcome you to TreasureNet Forums. It is truly an honor to have someone with your type of experience and insight with us.
Two years ago (or was it three), on one of my many trips to Key West, the weather turned nasty and I picked up a copy of “Fatal Treasure” at a local book store. Wow! What an awesome read. I opened the book and just could not put it down, and finished the book in a single day.

Welcome aboard

Q

 

[Salvor6]

Hello Don. Do you still work for MAREX? What is Herbo doing these days?

 

[Donovan]

I never worked for Marex. The closest I ever got to Herbo was about 3 miles.
Their boat was working the Maravillas, we were working the Santa Clara, a 1556 Spanish colonial ship. Also known as the St. Johns wreck.
Splash,
Donovan

 

[cpt scuba]

what about all the treasure the state has collected for the past 40 years real eight gave many divisions all of mel fishers from 1715 wrecks not to mention all of the 1733 stuff from several different treasure hunters

 

[Donovan]

I don't know how many artifacts the State of Florida has in their possesion, I am sure it's a bunch. But you just can't put everything on display. There is just to much stuff. We have something in excess of 250000 items here in Key West. At the most only a few hundred objects can be displayed at the same time.
It has been a few years since I was in the R.A.Grey museum. There was only one room devoted to shipwrecks. The rest of the displays were prehistoric or 19th and early 20th century. If I remember correctly the building had one floor for display, one for administration. The conservation lab was below ground level. I think that leaves a couple more floors.
Splash,
Donovan
PS I just went snorkeling on a small ship wreck at Cottrell reef a few hours ago. Found 27 cents. modern coins. 75 to a hundred year old wreck.