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.

Santa Leocadia

Lost: 1800
Location: Point Santa Elena, Ecuador
Coordinates: -2.2000, -80.9000
Era: Late Colonial / Transition
Coinage: milled
Discovered by: Ecuadorian salvage teams
Recovery: 1996
Cargo: Lima bust 8 reales of Charles IV, Royal treasury coin, Privately shipped silver

Spanish frigate lost off Point Santa Elena, Ecuador, at the very close of the cob era, carrying Peruvian silver home to Spain.

History

The Santa Leocadia was a Spanish frigate on the Pacific coast of South America when she wrecked on a shoal near Point Santa Elena on the night of 16 November 1800, with roughly 140 lives lost. Her cargo was late-colonial silver from the Lima mint — milled portrait (bust) 8 reales of Charles IV, not the earlier Pillar-type dollars.

Recovery

Ecuadorian salvage teams working the site in the 1990s recovered significant quantities of Lima milled silver, together with religious medals and personal artifacts. The wreck is one of the latest identified Spanish colonial-era treasure losses in the Pacific.

Timeline

1800 — Northbound from Callao — Carrying Peruvian silver toward Panama.
1800 — Wrecked at Santa Elena — Lost on the Ecuadorian coast.
1996 — Rediscovered — Ecuadorian teams locate the site.
1990s–Present — Silver Recovered — Lima bust-type 8 reales associated with the wreck enter the market.

Notes

One of the latest identified Spanish colonial treasure wrecks
Carried Lima milled silver — the direct successor to cob coinage
Lost at Point Santa Elena, near the site of the earlier Consolación