Are Dark Tide Relics shipwreck coins authentic?

Every shipwreck coin and artifact sold by Dark Tide Relics is authenticated and accompanied by provenance documentation from recognized authorities such as the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society, NGC, or PCGS, plus a permanent digital provenance record via TreasureCheck.ai.

Which shipwrecks does Dark Tide Relics specialize in?

Dark Tide Relics curates artifacts from the Nuestra Señora de Atocha (1622), Santa Margarita, the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet, El Cazador (1784), SS Central America (1857), Maravillas, Concepción, and other documented Spanish colonial and American Gold Rush wrecks.

How are orders shipped?

All orders ship via FedEx, fully insured and with adult signature required on delivery.

Does Dark Tide Relics buy shipwreck coins from collectors?

Yes. Dark Tide Relics actively acquires authenticated shipwreck coins and collections. Submissions can be made through the Sell Coins program at darktiderelics.com/sell-coins.

HMS Association

Lost: 1707
Location: Scilly Isles, off Cornwall, England
Coordinates: 49.8600, -6.4200
Era: British Royal Navy Losses
Coinage: milled
Discovered by: Royal Navy divers (HMS Reclaim)
Recovery: 1967
Cargo: Portuguese moidores, Spanish silver reales, Pay chests, Bronze ordnance

Flagship of Sir Cloudesley Shovell, lost with three other Royal Navy warships on the Scilly Isles in one of the worst peacetime disasters in British naval history.

History

HMS Association was the 90-gun flagship of Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, returning from operations in the Mediterranean in October 1707. On the night of 22 October the fleet miscalculated its position and drove onto the rocks of the Scilly Isles. Four ships — Association, Eagle, Romney, and Firebrand — were lost with roughly 1,400 to 2,000 lives. Shovell himself came ashore alive at Porthellick Cove and was, by local tradition, murdered for the emerald ring on his finger. The disaster prompted the Longitude Act of 1714 and the search for a reliable method of determining longitude at sea.

Recovery

Royal Navy divers located the wreck in 1967. The subsequent salvage produced a large group of Portuguese moidores, Spanish silver reales, English coinage, and bronze cannon. The recovery, and the legal wrangling that followed, contributed directly to the passage of the UK Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.

Timeline

1697 — Launched at Portsmouth — Enters service as a second-rate of 90 guns.
1707 — Returning from Mediterranean — Homeward-bound with the Mediterranean fleet.
1707 — Wrecked on the Scillies — Struck the Outer Gilstone Rock; total loss.
1967 — Located by RN Divers — HMS Reclaim divers find the site.
1967–Present — Coinage and Ordnance Recovered — Silver, gold, and bronze cannon lifted and dispersed.

Notes

Loss led directly to the 1714 Longitude Act
Sir Cloudesley Shovell was reportedly murdered ashore for his emerald ring
One of the earliest wrecks worked with modern diving technology