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.

Princess Louisa

Lost: 1743
Location: Maio, Cape Verde
Coordinates: 15.1500, -23.2000
Era: British East India Company
Coinage: milled
Discovered by: Salvage operation (1998–1999)
Recovery: 1998
Cargo: Spanish silver reales, Silver bars, EIC trade goods

English East India Company ship wrecked on the Maio reef in the Cape Verde islands with a heavy silver cargo for the India trade.

History

Princess Louisa was a 30-gun English East India Company ship on her fourth voyage, bound for Persia and Bombay, when she struck a reef off Maio in the Cape Verde archipelago on 18 April 1743. The wreck is well documented in East India Company shipping records; her cargo included twenty chests of Spanish and Spanish colonial silver coin, reported at some 69,760 ounces, intended for the silk and spice trade.

Recovery

The wreck lay undiscovered for over 250 years until a salvage operation recovered Spanish colonial silver coin from the site in 1998–1999 — decades later, and by a different party, than sometimes claimed. Recovered coinage is reported as chiefly Spanish colonial pillars-and-waves two-reales cobs.

Timeline

1743 — Sails for Persia and Bombay — Departs the Downs on 4 March on her fourth Company voyage.
1743 — Wrecked at Maio — Strikes a reef in the Cape Verde islands on 18 April.
1998–1999 — Located and Salvaged — A salvage operation recovers Spanish colonial silver coin from the wreck site.

Notes

Carried twenty chests of Spanish and Spanish colonial silver for the Persia and Bombay trade
Lay undiscovered for over 250 years before a 1998–99 salvage operation
Recovered coinage is chiefly Spanish colonial two-reales cobs, not Pillar dollars