Opinions wanted: how far can treasure coins travel from a wreck site?

[Jolly Mon]

I realize there are a vast number of variables here. But in general, what is your opinion as to how far coins/ other treasure can travel from a wreck site? I am interested in your opinions, and am interested in the amount of travel you deem possible both longshore and from offshore to inshore and visa versa. If an object does make it to the surf zone, how far can it travel?
It would seem to me, the deeper an object was originally deposited, the less likely it would be subjected to wave energy and transported, but I am no expert.
Any observations/experience/theories on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

 

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[gsxraddict]

I've often wondered this myself, and I guess the answer is many miles. Finding coins on the beaches would be the stopping point, how many miles could they have traveled past that?

They just get scattered so bad they are hard to find

 

[stevemc]

Obviously the deeper in the water, the less they will move. I wouldnt think they would move much, unless pretty close to shore. But if parts broke off, even floating chest of clothes etc, things could go a long way. I big ship will not sink and sit there if in shallow water, 50' or less. A hurricane can move it around and roll it, dumping stuff all over. Especially when the ship rolls and all the ballast dumps out, it gets real light and could go a ways. But if a ship wrecked near shore, things could move a way down the beach. Especially if the ship was whole and rolled a ways. Longshore currents move sand, and anything with it. Hurricanes and storms do too. Could move it a mile or more I am sure, over the many years.

 

[Southern_Digger]

I agree with Steve about the ship rolling and depositing coins everywhere. However, another thought to consider is where the beach is today, is not necessarily where it was nearly 300 years ago. A wreck reported as being 800-ft off the beach today, may have been only 400-ft off the beach back then. With such erosion taking place, it brings up the possibilities that some coins washed up on beaches today may have not washed in from shipwrecks. Instead, they could have been buried on dry land by salvors and washed back into the ocean in later years as the beaches experienced natural erosion. A good example of that is what happened at Chuck's steakhouse bluff after that hurricane came through several years ago, which incidentally, I was only six miles south hunting a shipwreck beach at the time the discovery was made, while the storm was still nearby. That was an interesting few days, having to drive around boats washed up on Us1 after heading north thru Cocoa Beach. At days end , the nearest motel I could find to stay was not nearby, but way north in Daytona and it had no electricity--i.e.: cold shower. While there a tornado struct just behind it a 3am in the morning, I was up at 4am as fire trucks backed down alley aside my room, so I headed back south to Sebastian soon after that for a second day of beachcombing. After all that, I still failed to dig any cobs.