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.

Spanish 1733 Fleet

Lost: 1733
Location: Florida Keys, USA
Coordinates: 24.8500, -80.7500
Era: Spanish Colonial – Late Period
Coinage: cob
Discovered by: Art McKee (Capitana) / multiple salvors
Recovery: 1938
Cargo: Silver cobs, Gold escudos, Mexican indigo, Cochineal

Twenty-two-ship Spanish treasure fleet driven onto the Florida Keys by a July hurricane — the sister disaster to the 1715 loss and a foundational site for modern Florida treasure diving.

History

The New Spain fleet, under Lieutenant-General Rodrigo de Torres, departed Havana on Friday 13 July 1733 with about 21–22 ships (sources vary slightly). Within a day, a hurricane caught the fleet and forced Torres to order it back toward Havana; by 15 July, most of the ships had been driven onto reefs and shoals across roughly eighty miles of the Florida Keys. Casualty figures are inconsistently reported across sources and no single primary tally is adopted here. Spanish salvage was extensive: shore camps were established, and crown salvors recovered the great majority of the registered silver and goods over the following years.

Recovery

Modern rediscovery is commonly associated with Florida diver Art McKee, who from 1938 located and worked one of the 1733 wrecks, effectively founding the sport of Florida treasure diving; the naming of the wreck he worked as "El Rubí Segundo" and precise identification of individual fleet vessels remain unresolved in the sources. Successive generations of divers have worked other 1733 wrecks — including San Pedro and San Felipe — recovering silver cobs, gold escudos, and cannon.

Timeline

1733 — Departs Havana — About 21–22 ships of the New Spain fleet sail on 13 July.
1733 — Hurricane in the Straits — Fleet driven onto the Florida Keys by 15 July; casualty figures are inconsistently reported.
1733–1737 — Spanish Camps Recover Cargo — Crown-organized salvage recovers the great majority of the registered cargo over several years.
1938 — McKee Works a 1733 Wreck — First modern rediscovery of a 1733-fleet wreck.
1938–Present — Ongoing Diving — Multiple wrecks worked; San Pedro preserved as underwater park.

Notes

Rediscovery from 1938 by Art McKee launched modern Florida treasure diving
Spanish salvors recovered the bulk of the registered cargo within years of the disaster
The San Pedro site is now a Florida State Underwater Archaeological Preserve