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.

Nuestra Señora de la Luz

Lost: 1752
Location: Río de la Plata, off Montevideo, Uruguay
Coordinates: -34.9000, -56.2000
Era: Late Colonial / Transition
Coinage: cob
Discovered by: Rubén Collado
Recovery: 1992
Cargo: Potosí cobs and Pillar dollars, Silver bars, Hides

Spanish register ship lost in the Río de la Plata off Montevideo, carrying Potosí silver back to Spain in the last decade of the cob era.

History

The Nuestra Señora de la Luz was one of the "register ships" that increasingly replaced the old convoy fleets in the mid-18th century. Sailing from Buenos Aires in July 1752 with Peruvian silver, she foundered in the Río de la Plata almost within sight of Montevideo. Roughly 200 people died.

Recovery

Uruguayan salvor Rubén Collado worked the site from 1992 onward under agreement with the government, recovering large quantities of Potosí cobs — including some of the last transitional pillars-and-waves issues struck before the introduction of milled coinage at Potosí in 1773.

Timeline

1752 — Departs Buenos Aires — Register ship sails for Cádiz with silver.
1752 — Founders in the River Plate — Lost within sight of Montevideo.
1992 — Located by Collado — Modern salvage under Uruguayan authority.
1990s–Present — Silver Recovered — Late Potosí cobs lifted and documented.

Notes

Yielded some of the latest Potosí cobs ever struck
One of the best-documented wrecks in Uruguayan waters
Sank almost within sight of Montevideo