Like I've mentioned a few (hundred) times I've always loved the Caribbean. There are some places to be avoided, like Haiti due to instability and is relatively unsafe, but for the most part it's paradise. Today I wanted to continue on with my British Virgin Islands series of coins: the Sunken Ship Treasure of the Caribbean. The Caribbean sea is littered with thousands of ship wrecks including some very rich treasure laden ships that were in route to Europe. It makes it a great place to be a treasure hunter. The coin from the series I'm sharing today in the ship lantern, have a look:
This coin set is a fun one to collect and since they are 92.5% silver they aren't a bad investment. Great for collectors and stackers alike. I'm still missing a couple and still haven't found them so I'll keep looking to finish up my collection. The were a great series produced at the Franklin Mint in Wawa, Pennsylvania and they were know for production of very high quality coins and bars in sterling silver. It's a shame they don't produce them anymore. The British Virgin Islands does, however, still produce very high quality commemorative silver coins to this day and are worth checking out if you get a chance.
Today's discussion is about the item on the coin's reverse: the ship's lantern. To be completely honest I had never thought much about the subject until now. But it turn out they were extremely important in the early days of seafaring around the world. Lanterns were the best way to signal other ships when traveling together in caravan to know where the other ships were at night. On a moonless cloud covered night you could easily sail right into another ship. Their were usually several lanterns on each ship, the stern (or back) of the boat was a common site to be attached. Here's a modern recreation:
So I dove in a little deeper to into stern lanterns and found a site with more interesting information which demonstrates their importance.
""Stern Lantern- a lantern often resembling a streetlight, mounted above the tafferel or above the quarter galleries. Since 1450, sailing ships would often carry 1-3 and sometimes more lanterns at the stern. A single lantern could be mounted from the mast top to indicate the lead-ship, admiral, and squadron commander. Since this was most likely a temporary situation often one of the stern lanterns was relocated at the top. Main-top means full admiral. Fore-top means vice admiral. Mizzen-top means rear admiral.""
https://historymaniacmegan.com/2018/07/24/the-anatomy-of-a-wooden-ship-part-5-the-bow-and-stern/
I've learned a lot of seafaring history by studying these coins for this series. Would a ship's lantern be considered treasure today, if you could find one intact it would be worth a fortune. I have a feeling that not many fared well through ship wrecks and the waves. The only ones I could find out there were modern recreations.
There are still many sunken Spanish treasure ships that still have yet to be discovered. Unfortunately treasure hunting in the ocean is an expensive business. I have gone myself with friends recreationally and never found anything as far as silver and gold goes. But being able to dive the reefs and see all the sea life more than makes up for it. I still have that glimmer of hope that maybe next time will be my lucky day!
And since it's still winter in the northern hemisphere I feel compelled to share a few shots of the British Virgin Islands. They are truly spectacular islands, especially Virgin Gorda. If you ever have the chance I highly recommend a visit!
I wouldn't mind owning a nice littel place on that hill...
Just gets me excited to get back into some nice tropical waters!
I hope you enjoyed my post for the day. The only real treasure today is the coin and the beautiful islands, no gold. But if gets you interested in checking out silver and gold coins it was worth it. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please feel free to leave them below. Thanks for stopping by!
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.
All pictures are mine unless otherwise noted.
References:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces42686.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shipwrecks_of_the_British_Virgin_Islands
https://historymaniacmegan.com/2018/07/24/the-anatomy-of-a-wooden-ship-part-5-the-bow-and-stern/
Re-blog lottery
First an announcement, tomorrow will be the last day of the daily giveaway. I'm going to probably back off to once a week on a special weekly post. Keep posted and I will let you know soon. But without further ado! Now for the winner of the re-blog lottery! Today we had 26 people who re-blogged 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 
Congratulations 
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 up to 5 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 prizes. 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.
If you are interested in precious metals or even want to learn more about them feel free to come join us #silvergoldstackers
