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.

Warwick

Lost: 1619
Location: Castle Harbour, Bermuda
Coordinates: 32.3300, -64.6800
Era: Spanish Colonial – Early Core Wrecks
Coinage: cob
Discovered by: Bermuda Maritime Museum / Texas A&M
Recovery: 2008
Cargo: Spanish silver reales, English trade goods, Ordnance

English galleon of the Somers Isles Company, sunk in a hurricane in Castle Harbour, Bermuda — one of the oldest identified English shipwrecks in the Americas.

History

The Warwick was an English merchantman sent by the Somers Isles Company to Bermuda in 1619 with supplies, colonists, and Governor Nathaniel Butler. Anchored in Castle Harbour that November, she was caught by a hurricane and drove ashore on the harbour's inner reefs, where she settled quickly onto her side. Because she went down in shallow, sheltered water, much of her lower hull survived intact under sediment. She is now recognised as one of the earliest — and best-preserved — English colonial-era ships known anywhere.

Recovery

Systematic archaeological excavation began in 2008 as a joint project of the Bermuda Maritime Museum, the National Museum of Bermuda, and Texas A&M's Institute of Nautical Archaeology. The work has recovered ordnance, ship's fittings, personal effects, and small quantities of Spanish silver — evidence of English merchant activity within the broader Spanish silver economy.

Timeline

1619 — Arrives Bermuda — Delivers Governor Butler, colonists, and supplies from London.
1619 — Hurricane in Castle Harbour — Driven ashore at anchor and sinks in shallow water.
2008 — Excavation Begins — Joint Bermuda / Texas A&M project opens the site.
2008–Present — Ongoing Archaeology — Hull, ordnance, and small finds documented and conserved.

Notes

One of the earliest English colonial-era shipwrecks ever excavated
Lower hull survives remarkably intact under Castle Harbour sediment
Excavation is led by Texas A&M's Institute of Nautical Archaeology