Over the years I have spent a lot of time in Florida. It's a great place for fishing, diving, and even treasure hunting. This year the Goldback company is releasing a series of Florida Goldbacks. These are essentially a specific amount of gold inlaid into an artistic bill. Although they aren't legal tender money, they contain gold and are an excellent way to invest in the precious metal.
The one you see above is the one Florida Goldback. It has a beautiful design with elements that commemorate the state. The young woman is dressed in clothes from the Spanish era and earring in the shape of a cross. There is a Spanish guitar and several other Florida themed items. I thought it might be fun to review a few of them in my post today.
I'll start off with the fort you see behind the young woman.
Castillo de San Marcos
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shutterstock.com
Castillo de San Marcos was a Spanish fortification for St. Augustine that was built following a raid by English privateer Robert Searles destroyed much of the city in 1668. Construction started in 1672 to protect the city from further English attacks. It's the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. Over the centuries it changes hands several times but was eventually ceded to the United States in 1821 along with the rest of Florida.
If you are ever in Florida this worth a the trip to visit. Old Spanish fortifications are amazing to visit just to see the size of these forts. The walls are very thick making it difficult to breach with even cannon fire. In the 1600's or 1700's you would have a fool to take attack one of these. Now it's part of the National Park Service and open to visits by the public.
A very worthy addition to the Goldback!
Fort Jefferson
richardauger.com
pinterest.com
Although not on the Goldback illustration this is a really beautiful place to visit. Built in the 1820's in the Dry Tortugas, it's the largest masonry fort in the Americas. It never saw any battle and was used as a prison after the US Civil War, it once housed Samuel Mudd who was accused as a conspirator in the assassination of President Lincoln. Now it's part of the National Park Service as well.
Why do bring it up? Because it's gorgeous location in the Dry Tortugas. There is some of the best fishing and diving in the United States in the Tortugas. Just have a look at that water in the pictures I included, it's gorgeous. If you ever get a chance, you won't regret the trip!
Spanish Galleon and the 1733 lost treasure fleet
In the illustration they also feature a Spanish galleon which in the 1600's and 1700's would have been a common sight. Fleets were sent yearly from the Americas to deliver plundered treasures to Spain. While most of these fleets arrived safely, some were lost. Typically they would sail from Havana (now Cuba) and up the Florida coastline to catch the eastward trade winds. In 1733 the fleet sailed into a hurricane and was smashed against the reefs off of central Florida.
If you're feeling lucky you can take your metal detector out along the beaches in central Florida after large storms and search for some of the treasure. I have tried my luck several times, however, I always came up empty handed. There is still a fortune in gold and silver buried under the beaches and in the offshore reefs just waiting to be recovered. If you're really lucky you might find one of these.
pirategoldcoins.com
American Flamingo
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Also on the Goldback they have the American Flamingo next to the guitar. Until 1900 these birds were very common in Florida. However, they were all essentially killed off by hunters by 1900 so seeing them now is true rarity. Little by little, some are returning to the state, but the best place to see huge flocks of them is off of the coast of northern Colombia. They are really pretty birds!
I think that's enough of the highlights for today's post...
Now, you might wonder how do you really know that the amount of gold stated on the Goldback is really there? You can take their word for it, but this fellow went one step further to verify the gold content. It's a long video, but he does verify the gold content by recovering the gold from some Goldbacks. Thanks 
That will do it for me today. I hope you liked the sneak peak at the new Florida one Goldback. They have multiple new Goldbacks with more gold content as well, one even has 1/10th of a Troy ounce. I'm looking forward to these and will be picking up some for sure. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below, and thank you so much for all of your support. I truly appreciate it! Have a great week everyone!
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_de_San_Marcos
https://www.goldback.com/florida-goldback-gallery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Jefferson_(Florida)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_flamingo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_treasure_fleet
Disclaimer:
The video links I am sharing are not mine, I am only sharing the link to the copyright owner's video. No copyright infringement is intended. Used under fair-use section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976.
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