My wish list is coming to an end here at day twelve. I had many choices that I would have love to have included in the list on the last day, but rather than go out with a whimper (cheap) I'll go out with a bang with something really cool! I have always loved prospecting and searching for sunken treasures. Prospecting I have had a fair amount of luck over the years, but on my treasure hunting trips I have always come back with empty pockets despite having combed the beaches of Florida's treasure coast and diving all over the Caribbean. It appears that my best chance to get a piece of a historic shipwreck/ pirate treasure may have to be buying one!
There are many shipwrecks from which I would love to have some treasure. There's the lost 1715 Spanish fleet, some of which has been recovered and some still turns up on the beaches of Florida or in the nearby mangrove swamps. The Maravilla wreck in the Bahamas and the San Jose off the shore of Colombia. And of course last but not least, the Atocha.
For a little more background on the doomed Spanish galleon you can read my wish list day seven post here:
Wish List Day 7
This is one of Mel Fisher's finds among the remains of part of the sunken once grand Spanish galleon. It sat buried under the sands of the Florida Keys for at least 350 years before it was recovered. Often called a silver piece of eight, it's a silver 8 Reales coin:
About this beauty!
Country: Spain
Mint: Mexico City, Mexico
Date: 1607-1617
Denomination: 8 Reales
Shipwreck: Nuestra Senora de Atocha (Our Lady of Atocha)
Graded: PCGS XF45
Asking price on eBay: $4,995 US
These silver pieces of eight coins are what all the pirates in the Caribbean wanted. This literally could have belonged to a pirate before it's eventual sinking along with the Atocha. Just imagine the people who could have carried this coin in their hands four hundred years ago! If only coins could talk!
Life in the Caribbean wasn't as wonderful as movies may romanticize it to have been. It would have been very hot and humid. Most people wouldn't smell very good and there weren't sewer systems in most places in the early days. Life in the Caribbean today is much nicer with air conditioning, running water, and all the modern amenities! The joys of modern life...
To sum up my twelve days list here are links to all of my choices:
Day 1: One Kilo Silver Dragon Coin from Ghana
Day 2: Dragon Coin with Mother of Pearl Inlay
Day 3: Morgan Silver Dollar from Carson City
Day 4: High Relief Peace Dollar
Day 5: One Tenth of an Ounce Gold Eagle Coin
Day 6: Silver Golden Eagle Coin
Day 7: Gold 2 Escudos from the wrecked Atocha
Day 8: Dragon Coin
Day 9: High Relief 1907 Saint-Gaudens Gold Double Eagle
Day 10 & 11: Morgan and Peace 2023 Silver Bullion Coins
Day 12: Today's post!
That was quite a list!
I hope you enjoyed my post today. Thanks for stopping by and having a look. If you have any suggestions, questions or comments please feel free to leave them below. Have a great Saturday and holiday weekend!
And my disclaimer:
Gold and silver collecting and stacking can be a fun hobby but isn't for everyone. You can lose money. I'm not a financial advisor and this isn't financial advice, please always do your own research before spending your hard earned money.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuestra_Se%C3%B1ora_de_Atocha
Re-blog lottery
Now for the winner of the re-blog lottery! Today we had 33 people re-blog my post, thank you so much! The people who re-blogged were:
Voluntary daily reminder list for those who request to be on it:
If you want to be added to the list as well just feel free to ask!
Thank you everyone! I have been working to improve my engagement and all of you have really helped out! If you have any recommendations or suggestions please feel free to let me know. I'm always looking to improve my posts.
Good luck to everyone!
And the Wheel of Names results:
Winner #1:
Winner #2:
Congratulations to 
Congratulations to 
Now for today's re-blog lottery! You just need to re-blog my post you will be placed on the Wheel of Names for a spin to possibly win 3 HSBI units! New twist, one winner on the first spin wins 3 HSBI, and a second spin for a chance for 2 HSBI, so two possible winners or one really lucky one could win both spins! An upvote is not required but is always greatly appreciated. Bots aren't allowed to win the prize. Contest ends at 14:00 (2 PM) California Pacific time tomorrow. If I somehow missed your re-blog please let me know and I'll add you to the next draw.
What are HSBI units? They are units that you can purchase to sponsor someone and you in turn receive a unit as well. This way we both benefit! They give you occasional upvotes on your posts for a lifetime, and the more you accumulate the more often you receive upvotes and the bigger they can be. You can read some more here:
If you have more questions feel free to ask.
