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.

Piedmont

Lost: 1795
Location: Chesil Beach, Dorset, England
Coordinates: 50.6000, -2.4500
Era: Late Colonial / Transition
Coinage: milled
Discovered by: Documentary research
Cargo: Troops and military stores (no documented specie)

British troop transport lost in a storm in Weymouth Bay while carrying troops and pay for the West Indies expeditions of the French Revolutionary Wars.

History

Piedmont was one of six transports of Rear-Admiral Sir Hugh Christian's West Indies-bound expedition driven ashore on Chesil Beach near Chickerell in a severe gale on 17 November 1795. Of the 157 people recorded aboard Piedmont specifically, only 18 survived; the master and 139 others were lost. The disaster stunned the British public.

Recovery

The wreck is known only from documentary sources, with only an approximate location recorded near Chickerell/Fleet; no excavation record exists. No specie or treasure manifest is documented for this ship, and coin recovered from Chesil Beach shingle cannot automatically be attributed to Piedmont among the six wrecked transports.

Timeline

1795 — Sails for the West Indies — Departs St Helens 16 November as part of Rear-Admiral Christian's expedition.
1795 — Wrecked on Chesil Beach — Driven ashore near Chickerell on 17 November; 139 of 157 aboard are lost.
20th century — Documentary Record Compiled — The wreck is recorded from surviving 18th-century accounts; no excavation record exists.

Notes

One of six transports of Christian's fleet wrecked together on Chesil Beach
157 people were aboard; only 18 survived and 139 were lost, including the master
No coin, specie, or treasure cargo is documented for this ship