On July 24, 1715, Spain's treasure rich New Spain fleet sailed from Havana, Cuba with a cargo valued at fourteen million pesos in silver, gold and jewels. One week into the voyage near present day Vero Beach, Florida, they were met by a furious hurricane resulting in the loss of eleven of the fleet's twelve ships and hundreds of lives.
For nearly two hundred and fifty years the sea would hold the precious cargo secret, only occasionally tossing blackened silver coin or other objects to the shores as if to taunt would-be discoverers. Not until the 1960s would these shipwrecks (scattered over a forty mile area) begin to give up their treasures.
To this day, the 1715 Fleet continues to reward those who possess the knowledge, fortitude and courage to explore the often turbulent and treacherous waters just offshore of what has consequently become know as Florida's Treasure Coast
This replica coin is an 8 Reale - or, what is cut up to become Pieces of Eight. Measuring about 1-1/2 inch by 1-1/2 inch, it looks like a smashed piece of metal. Closer inspection shows the details of the coin on either side.