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Atocha Treasure Coins
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Atocha Treasure Coins Approximately two hundred, fifty-five thousand silver coins were listed on the Atocha's manifest when it sank off the Florida Keys on September 6, 1622. Almost all the coins recovered were minted in the New World, the majority of those at the Potosi mint in upper Peru (modern day Bolivia). The coins, typically called "cobs" usually were of irregular shape. They were manufactured by cutting coin blanks, "planchets", from crudely cast bars of refined silver, then clipped to the requisite weight, heated, and hand hammered between crudely engraved dies. The irregular surface thickness and circumference of the blanks prevented well-defined strikes; thus legends are seldom visible or only partially so. The important features were the assayer's mark and mintmark, as it guaranteed the fineness of the bullion and the proper weight. The prescribed weight of an 8 reales silver coin was 27.47 grams, with each lower denomination weighing exactly half of the next larger denomination. Atocha era coins bear a Hapsburg Shield on the obverse and a cross with castles and lions in the quarters on the reverse. The Potosi mint coin legends, if complete, (almost never), reads PHILIPPVS III D G HISPANIARVM on the obverse and ET INDIARVM REX followed by AÑO DATE (starting in 1617), on the reverse. The coins offered for sale are typically hand-selected from large collections and thus represent top quality in grade and best value in price. Rare coins or coins of exceptional quality in grade demand higher prices. Certificates of Authenticity accompany all coins.
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