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.

Vergulde Draeck

Lost: 1656
Location: Ledge Point, Western Australia
Coordinates: -31.3000, 115.4200
Era: Spanish Colonial – Shared Cargo System
Coinage: cob
Discovered by: Alan Robinson / Graeme Henderson
Recovery: 1963
Cargo: Spanish silver reales, VOC silver ingots, Trade goods

VOC "Gilt Dragon" wrecked on the Western Australian coast north of Perth with eight chests of silver bound for Batavia.

History

The Vergulde Draeck ("Gilt Dragon") departed Texel in October 1655 for Batavia carrying eight chests of silver reales and merchandise. On 28 April 1656 she struck a reef off the Western Australian coast some 100 km north of modern Perth. Of roughly 193 aboard, 75 reached shore. Seven men sailed the ship's boat to Batavia to raise the alarm, leaving 68 behind on the coast; subsequent VOC search voyages failed to find them, and their fate remains unknown.

Recovery

The wreck was rediscovered in 1963 and subsequently worked by the Western Australian Museum. It was one of the sites that prompted the passage of the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976. Silver reales — primarily Mexico City and Potosí cobs — form the numismatic legacy of the wreck.

Timeline

1655 — Departs Texel — Sails for Batavia with eight chests of silver.
1656 — Wrecked on Western Australia — Strikes a reef north of modern Perth.
1656 — Boat Party to Batavia — Seven men reach Batavia; search voyages find no survivors.
1963 — Rediscovered — Modern rediscovery off Ledge Point.
1970s–Present — WA Museum Recovery — Silver and artifacts recovered and conserved.

Notes

The fate of the 68 marooned survivors was never established
One of four historic Dutch wrecks on the WA coast (with Batavia, Zuytdorp, Zeewijk)
Prompted Australia's landmark Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976