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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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.

San José (1631)

Lost: 1631
Location: Gulf of Panama, near Punta Garachiné
Coordinates: 7.5500, -78.1500
Era: Spanish Colonial – Mid-17th Century
Coinage: cob
Cargo: Potosí silver bars, Silver reales, Passenger property

Almiranta of the South Seas Armada, lost after striking a shoal in the Gulf of Panama while carrying Potosí silver from Callao.

History

This San José is the South Seas Armada galleon lost in 1631, not the better-known Spanish warship sunk off Cartagena in 1708. She sailed from Callao on 31 May 1631 as the fleet's almiranta, carrying silver north toward Panama for onward transport across the isthmus and eventually to Spain. On 17 June 1631, while manoeuvring to anchor near the fleet's capitana, San José struck a shoal in the Gulf of Panama. Contemporary pilot testimony describes repeated contact with the bottom before the ship was lost. Published specialist accounts identify the location with Banco San José, west of Punta Garachiné.

Recovery

Contemporary Spanish efforts recovered part of the registered cargo, while later commercial work has brought coins attributed to the wreck into the collector market. The published archaeological record is less complete than for many protected wreck sites, so an individual coin's attribution must rest on a documented chain from an authorised recovery rather than the shared ship name alone. San José (1631) must always be distinguished from San José (1708). The two vessels sailed in different oceans, in different fleets, and nearly eight decades apart.

Timeline

1611 — Galleon Christened — San José enters service in the South Seas fleet system.
1631 — Departs Callao — Sails north on 31 May as almiranta with Potosí silver.
1631 — Strikes a Shoal — Lost in the Gulf of Panama on 17 June.
1631 — Contemporary Salvage — Spanish crews recover part of the registered cargo.

Notes

This is not the San José lost off Cartagena in 1708
The ship carried Potosí silver north from Callao
Specific artifact attribution requires an authorised recovery record