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.

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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.

The Almiranta of the 1650s South Sea Armada

Lost: 1656
Location: Ecuador Coast
Coordinates: -2.1500, -81.0000
Era: Spanish Colonial – Shared Cargo System
Coinage: cob
Cargo: Silver coins, Trade goods

A market name for a supposed 1650s vice-flagship wreck off Ecuador; no distinct wreck is independently documented, and the actual almiranta of the 1654 fleet, San Francisco Solano, is recorded as having survived that voyage.

History

A caution first: no distinct "La Almiranta" wreck is independently documented. The long compound name sometimes given to this wreck ("Nuestra Señora de la Almiranta y San Francisco Javier") does not appear in the documentary record we can verify, and material sold under it is often really associated with the 1654 loss of La Capitana off Chanduy. The actual almiranta, or vice-flagship, of the 1654 Armada del Mar del Sur convoy was the San Francisco Solano, a 400-ton former merchantman that sailed alongside La Capitana — and contemporary accounts describe her trailing and signalling as the flagship struck a reef off Chanduy, not wrecking herself. She is recorded as having survived that voyage. Because no independent, sourced account of a separate almiranta shipwreck from this period has been located, we treat "La Almiranta" as an unverified market attribution rather than a documented loss.

Recovery

No archaeological site is independently attributed to a distinct 1650s South Sea Armada almiranta loss off Ecuador. Artifacts marketed under this name most plausibly originate from the well-documented La Capitana site at Chanduy, and should be described accordingly rather than as coming from a separately wrecked ship.

Timeline

1654 — San Francisco Solano Sails as Almiranta — The documented vice-flagship escorts La Capitana on the October 1654 voyage.
1654 — La Capitana Wrecked, Escort Survives — Contemporary accounts describe the almiranta signalling and standing off, not sinking herself.
Ongoing — No Independent Wreck Record Found — No corroborated separate 1650s almiranta loss off Ecuador has been identified.
1990s–Present — Attribution Caution — Material sold under this name is treated as likely originating from the documented La Capitana site.

Notes

No distinct "La Almiranta" wreck is independently documented
The compound ship name often used for this wreck does not appear in verifiable sources
The actual 1654 almiranta, San Francisco Solano, is recorded as having survived that voyage
Material sold under this name likely originates from the documented La Capitana site at Chanduy