VOC, has the dollar wreck ever been found?? Pillar dollars are my favourite
Not yet, unfortunately the Westerly facing coast of the Lizard peninsula is very dynamic and can hit by waves of up to 40 feet at the shoreline.
The possible location can be covered by up to 30 feet of sand and in the UK you cannot use blowers on environmental grounds.
The wreck may not even exist as there is a lot of Cornish folklore in this area regarding smuggling and tunnels under the sea etc, and all that is known for certain is coins are washed up onto the beach (Church Cove, not the Church Cove on the East Coast of the Lizard).
There are also two nearby historic wrecks
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/maritime/map/schiedam/ and
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/maritime/map/st-anthony/
Roland Morris was a Legend in the UK as one of the pioneers of historic wreck recovery; he built a pub/restaurant that would put some museums to shame with the amount of artefacts in it (Admiral Benbow – Penzance), the pub also had a dining room based on a galleon great cabin.
He also had a privately funded a shipwreck museum in the same street that was open to the public.
Roland Morris campaigned for the government to introduce a Protection of Wrecks Act that actually came into force in the early 70’s. He also worked the wreck of HMS Colossus for the British Museum
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/maritime/map/hms-colossus/
On the other point you made, I am all for Archaeology to the highest level on sites that you can get real meaningful information from, but sites where everything is being thrown around during every storm, even basic site plans are totally meaningless, so I believe straight artefact recovery is the best way forward as any information is better than nothing and these artefacts are being lost by the year.
My biggest beef is with the inexperienced academic marine archaeologist dreaming up a UNESCO convention on the way forward that is based on their lack of funds, rather than what’s best for increasing the Worlds knowledge about our past.
I have no problems with most Archaeologist and I have worked with some of the best of them, but I have found a very big difference in views towards the UNESCO convention between the ones that are actively working in the field day in day out and the ones that sit in institutions dreaming up new laws and policy etc.
Unfortunately due to the victimisation by their so called peers if they don’t tow the current line towards the convention they keep quiet.
Like you I love Pillar Dollars, one of the most interesting coins ever produced
