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SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA – July 2010 – A bounty within a bounty was discovered inside a 300-year-old bronze cannon that had been taken to a historical conservatory for study. The cannon was part of a 1715 shipwreck off the Florida coast that has been studied for some time by Gold Hound LLC, a treasure hunting group. The ship was headed to Spain when it went down in a hurricane. This latest treasure discovery is valued at $500,000.

Treasure hunters said the cannon was a find in itself, a rare bronze swivel cannon used to fend off pirate enemies on the treasure ship’s journey back to King Philip V. The cannon was discovered in shallow waters – less than 15 feet deep – off of Sebastian, Florida, approximately 40 miles north of West Palm Beach. It was found alongside 22 rare gold coins.

The cannon was brought to the conservatory to preserve history, where its hidden bounty was discovered. Among the gold coins was an extremely rare 1698 Cuzco mint coin from a Peruvian mine that operated for just four months, adding to the importance and value of the coin, the news release said. Historians have struggled for decades to unearth more information about the mine, of which little is known.

The remaining gold coins appear to be primarily from Bogotá, Colombia, referred to as “Bogie 2s” for their denominations, the news release said. The silver coins, subject to further identification, likely originate from mines in Mexico and Bolivia.

The 1715 Fleet received a cargo of several million silver coins in Vera Cruz. Bolivia’s Cerro River in Potosi was the single most prolific silver producer in the world for several hundred years, the release said. The 1715 Fleet consisted of 11 Spanish galleons and war ships that sank on July 31, 1715, after they left Havana. (News came from treasurelore.com)

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