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.

Slot ter Hooge

Lost: 1724
Location: Porto Santo, Madeira Archipelago
Coordinates: 33.0600, -16.3400
Era: Dutch East India Company (VOC)
Coinage: milled
Discovered by: Robert Sténuit
Recovery: 1974
Cargo: Dutch ducatons, Silver bars, Spanish reales

VOC East Indiaman wrecked at Porto Santo in the Madeira archipelago with three tons of silver — famously salvaged in the 18th century by John Lethbridge in his pioneering diving barrel.

History

The Slot ter Hooge sailed from Vlissingen for Batavia in October 1724 and was wrecked in a storm at Porto Santo just weeks later. Of roughly 254 aboard, only 33 survived. Her cargo included some three tons of silver — around 175,000 ducatons and reales.

Recovery

The most remarkable chapter of the Slot ter Hooge story is her 18th-century salvage. English inventor John Lethbridge, using a leather-and-oak "diving engine" of his own design, recovered nearly half of the silver between 1725 and 1735 — one of the earliest successful deep-diving operations in European history. Belgian archaeologist Robert Sténuit relocated the site in 1974 and recovered further material.

Timeline

1724 — Departs Vlissingen — Sails for Batavia with three tons of silver.
1724 — Wrecked at Porto Santo — Storm loss with the majority of those aboard.
1725 — Lethbridge Diving Engine — Pioneering 18th-century salvage recovers most of the silver.
1974 — Relocated by Sténuit — Modern rediscovery of the site.

Notes

Salvaged by John Lethbridge in his pioneering wooden diving barrel
Lethbridge recovered nearly half the silver in the 1720s and 1730s
Rediscovered by Robert Sténuit in 1974