Need help to Identify!

[Leech221]

Hey guys I'm new here but i think this is the only community that can help. I have 500 Spanish Reale recovered in the 1980's. I have narrowed it down that the shipwreck had to be from 1689 to 1860. The person who discovered the coins died later that year, so we cant get any information from him. No one knows where he went to find them all we know is he went to the Caribbean and Bahamas. His name was Pete Peters if that helps at all. The Reals dates range from 1669 to 1689.I will be able to update this post in a day or two with pictures, and possibly answers to any questions. I know this is a big task, and i have already done quite a bit of research.

Update: Pete served in the navy. The coins were bought in 1980, but could have been found as far back as the 1950's prior to any laws regulating the taking of objects from the waters.

 

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[old man]

Hey guys I'm new here but i think this is the only community that can help. I have 500 Spanish Reale recovered in the 1980's. I have narrowed it down that the shipwreck had to be from 1689 to 1860. The person who discovered the coins died later that year, so we cant get any information from him. No one knows where he went to find them all we know is he went to the Caribbean and Bahamas. His name was Pete Peters if that helps at all. The Reals dates range from 1669 to 1689.I will be able to update this post in a day or two with pictures, and possibly answers to any questions. I know this is a big task, and i have already done quite a bit of research.

Leech221, my best guess without doing research is that the coins came from a wreck oin 1689 or 1690.
Since 500 coins were recovered? I think the wreck still has many more on it.

 

[bobinsd]

Are they from a cache or a shipwreck? If you can read the dates and if the coins have not had restoration, it will be hard to
figure the origin unless there is knowledge of the source location. A pic would help.

 

[Leech221]

Old Man:The man that found the coins only gave me 500 of them. I think he had more, but I don't know how many he could have had a lot.

Bobinsd: it was from a shipwreck, the coins are in good enough condition that I can get the date and possibly the location. I am at a coin show right now I might have a couple with me, but i will be able to get pictures of them Monday or Tuesday.

 

[Red_desert]

There are far too many ships, that sank in the Caribbean and Bahamas, to try narrowing it down. Spanish coins once were a legal money in the US. In fact, in the days of horse pulled construction plowing chests (full of nothing but Spanish silver coins) got dug up in New Orleans area, when some new hotels were built. Sometimes these chests popped open when hit, spilling coins everywhere (work came to a halt) the workers would grab as many coins, as they possibly could leaving behind only a portion of the loot.

 

[Leech221]

Red_desert: the man that found the coins was in the navy. That means that he only had access to Guantanamo bay in Cuba but he wasn't allowed any where else in Cuba. As you said there were a lot of coins found in New Orleans. My goal though is to find the name of the ship the coins were found.

 

[Salvor6]

Hey Leech, "The Treasure Divers Guide" by John Potter has a terrific section in the appendix that lists every wreck by year. In 1689 there is only one wreck called THE GALLEON OF BLANCO listed that struck a rock and sank just outside Havanna Harbor. Since your friend was in Guantanamo it is very likely that the coins came from this wreck. It is well known that the local divers would pick treasure off the wrecks and sell it to supplement their income. I think that this wreck is your best bet.

 

[Boatlode]

Hey Leech, "The Treasure Divers Guide" by John Potter has a terrific section in the appendix that lists every wreck by year. In 1689 there is only one wreck called THE GALLEON OF BLANCO listed that struck a rock and sank just outside Havanna Harbor. Since your friend was in Guantanamo it is very likely that the coins came from this wreck. It is well known that the local divers would pick treasure off the wrecks and sell it to supplement their income. I think that this wreck is your best bet.

This^^^^^^. You need this book - see p 152.

 

[Leech221]

Thanks guys I'll defiantly check out the book. I'm gonna try to get the book by this Christmas. You guys have been awesome!