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.

Wendela

Lost: 1737
Location: Fetlar, Shetland Islands, Scotland
Coordinates: 60.1500, -1.1500
Era: Dutch East India Company (VOC)
Coinage: milled
Discovered by: Robert Sténuit
Recovery: 1971
Cargo: Danish silver specie, Spanish reales, Trade goods

Danish Asiatic Company ship wrecked in the Shetland Islands on her outbound voyage to Tranquebar with a full cargo of silver specie.

History

The Wendela sailed for the Danish Asiatic Company in November 1737, bound for the Danish trading post at Tranquebar on the Coromandel Coast of India, carrying a cargo documented as 79 bars of silver and 31 sacks of minted silver coin. She wrecked at Heilinabretta, Fetlar, in the Shetlands on the night of 18–19 December 1737, with the loss of all aboard.

Recovery

Belgian archaeologist Robert Sténuit excavated the wreck between August and October 1971, recovering an itemized group of 605 silver coins, 44 gold coins, and other artifacts — one of the earliest and most successful private archaeological wreck excavations in northern European waters. Contemporary Shetland salvors had already recovered some silver from the rocks shortly after the 1737 loss.

Timeline

1737 — Departs Copenhagen — Sails November for Tranquebar with silver bar and coin.
1737 — Wrecked at Fetlar — Lost with all hands on the night of 18–19 December.
1971 — Excavated by Sténuit — Robert Sténuit excavates the site between August and October.

Notes

One of very few Danish East India Company wrecks ever worked
Excavation was a landmark of European private marine archaeology
The 1971 excavation recovered a modest, itemized group of 605 silver and 44 gold coins