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 Margarita

Lost: 1622
Location: Florida Keys, USA
Coordinates: 24.4800, -81.9200
Era: Spanish Colonial – Early Core Wrecks
Coinage: cob
Discovered by: Mel Fisher
Recovery: 1980
Cargo: Silver coins, Gold bars, Copper ingots

Sister ship to the Atocha, lost in the same hurricane. Together they carried the wealth of the New World.

History

The Santa Margarita sailed alongside the Atocha as part of the ill-fated 1622 Tierra Firme fleet. As a principal galleon of the fleet, she carried her own impressive cargo of New World treasure—silver bars, gold coins, copper ingots, and valuable trade goods destined for the Spanish crown. When the hurricane struck on September 6, 1622, the Santa Margarita met the same fate as her more famous sister ship. The violent storm drove her onto the shallow reefs of the Florida Keys, where she broke apart and scattered her cargo across the seafloor. Unlike the Atocha, more of the Santa Margarita's crew survived the initial wreck, only to face the desperate struggle for survival on the remote keys. The Spanish salvage attempts that followed recovered some of the Santa Margarita's cargo, but the majority remained hidden beneath shifting sands and coral growth for over 350 years, waiting for modern treasure hunters to unlock her secrets.

Recovery

Mel Fisher's search for the Atocha led to an unexpected bonus—the discovery of the Santa Margarita in 1980, five years before the main Atocha treasure pile was found. The Santa Margarita yielded impressive treasures of her own, including gold bars, silver coins, and rare artifacts that provided crucial clues to locating the Atocha. The recovery of the Santa Margarita validated Fisher's research and methodology, proving that the treasure fleet had indeed scattered across this section of the Florida Keys. Each artifact recovered brought the team closer to understanding the 1622 disaster and ultimately to finding the Atocha's main treasure pile. Today, artifacts from the Santa Margarita are prized by collectors as authentic pieces of Spanish colonial history, each one carrying the story of a sister ship's tragic fate.

Timeline

1618 — Ship Built — Constructed as a principal galleon for the Tierra Firme fleet.
1622 — Departs with Fleet — Sails alongside the Atocha carrying New World treasure to Spain.
1622 — Hurricane Strikes — Driven onto the reefs of the Florida Keys in the same storm as the Atocha.
1980 — Mel Fisher Discovers Wreck — Found during the search for the Atocha, yielding gold bars and silver coins.
1980–Present — Ongoing Recovery — Artifacts continue to be recovered from the scattered wreck site.

Notes

The Santa Margarita was found five years before the Atocha's main pile
Recovery efforts continue to this day at the Santa Margarita site
Gold bars from the wreck still bear the original Spanish mint marks