Hollandia

The final voyage

Hollandia was built in 1742 at the VOC's Amsterdam yard, a new-design 700-ton, 32-gun fluyt-rigged ship. She sailed from Texel on 3 July 1743 on her maiden voyage to Batavia, part of a larger convoy, carrying a substantial cargo of trade silver documented at roughly 129,700 guilders, along with a number of passengers including relatives of the incoming Governor-General of Batavia, Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff.

On 13 July 1743, separated from her convoy in poor visibility, Hollandia struck Gunner Rock off Annet, at the southwest side of the Isles of Scilly, and was lost with all 306 aboard — 276 crew and soldiers and 30 passengers. London attorney Rex Cowan began an archival search for the wreck in 1968 and located it on 16 September 1971 using a proton magnetometer, guided by 18th-century eyewitness accounts placing the loss near Gunner Rock in about 20–22 fathoms.

What was aboard

VOC archival cargo records, cited in Cowan, Cowan and Marsden's 1975 published excavation report in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, and Historic England's designation record together document the ship's silver cargo and the finds recovered.

Silver bullion and coin: More than 35,000 silver coins were recovered during excavation, none dated later than 1742, consistent with the ship's 1743 loss.

Cannon and mortars: Bronze cannon bearing the monogram of the VOC Amsterdam Chamber, and two military mortars, were recovered and used to help confirm the wreck's identity.

Personal and family silver: Silver plate bearing the personal arms of the Bentinck and Van Imhoff families was recovered, corroborating documented passengers connected to the incoming Governor-General.

Lead ingots and ship's fittings: Lead ingots and pewter tableware were recovered from the site during the 1970s excavation.

How to collect

Look for 1970s Cowan-excavation provenance: Legitimate Hollandia coin and artifacts should trace to Cowan's licensed 1970s excavation and its subsequent distribution, not a later unlicensed recovery.

Match coin dates to pre-1743 issues: Recovered coins are documented as dated no later than 1742, consistent with the loss; a later date on a claimed Hollandia coin is a red flag.

Ask about the VOC Amsterdam Chamber mark: Cannon and some silver are documented bearing the Amsterdam Chamber's monogram; this is a useful (though not sole) authentication reference.

Recognize the family-silver items as exceptional: Silver bearing the Bentinck or Van Imhoff family arms is a documented but rare category; such an item outside a museum collection warrants particular provenance scrutiny.