Jupiter Wreck (unidentified Spanish vessel, ca. 1659)

The final voyage

A Spanish vessel of the late 1650s, popularly known in the trade and locally as the San Miguel Arcángel, is understood to have wrecked just south of the Jupiter Inlet jetty while attempting to enter the inlet during a storm, around 1659 or 1660. The name is a matter of salvor and local tradition rather than a documentary identification the archaeological record can confirm, and it is sometimes described as having served as an aviso, or Spanish courier vessel. [1](https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/2013/04/02/jupiter-marks-its-history-shipwrecks/6981568007/)

The wreck lay undiscovered — though occasionally hinted at by coins found ashore — until 13 July 1987, when Palm Beach County lifeguard Peter Leo, swimming off Jupiter Beach Park, spotted an anchor and an encrusted cannon in shallow water. Leo and boat captain Dominic Addario formed Jupiter Wreck Inc. and recovered thousands of silver coins along with gold coins, flatware, shot, and other artifacts, but the operation became mired in a lengthy legal dispute among the partners and with the State of Florida over the handling and division of the finds. [2](https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/story/news/2017/10/27/a-shipwreck-s-legacy/9679799007/)[3](https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/story/entertainment/2017/10/27/treasure-mired-in-distrust/9631884007/)

What was aboard

No Spanish manifest naming this vessel has been located; the 'San Miguel Arcángel' name is salvor and local tradition. Coin and artifact counts below come from contemporary newspaper reporting on the 1987–1990s recovery, which differ somewhat between sources.

Silver coins: Reported figures range from roughly 5,100 coins (per one 1995 newspaper account, dated 1652–1659) to over 10,000 (per a 2013 municipal historical marker account); the discrepancy reflects different points in the ongoing, disputed recovery.

Gold coins: Reported at approximately 100 pieces in the same municipal account.

Ship's material: Six cannons remain on the site; recovered items include musket balls, cannon balls, a copper cooking pot, and a pewter shaker box.

How to collect

Ask which recovery phase a piece is from: Given the site's litigation history, a seller should specify whether material comes from the original Jupiter Wreck Inc. recovery or a later, separately licensed phase.

Do not assume the San Miguel Arcángel name is proven: Treat it as traditional attribution pending documentary confirmation, consistent with the town's own historical framing.

Check for state disposition records: Given the 1992 permit suspension and removal of artifacts from display, ask whether a specific coin was part of a state-adjudicated division of finds.

Expect corrosion consistent with shallow, high-energy water: The site's shallow depth and heavy surf exposure typically leave coins more worn or encrusted than deep-water wrecks.