A TREASURE chest worth $1 million has finally been retrieved 300 years after it sank on a Spanish ship.
More than 1,000 glistening silver and gold coins were unearthed by a team of divers just off the coast of Florida.
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The jewels were uncovered in a stretch of sea aptly called the Treasure Coast and are understood to date back to 1715.
It’s believed they were minted in Bolivia, Mexico and Peru and were on their way to Spain on a fleet of ships also carrying a number of jewels.
But when a hurricane struck, the precious cargo was tipped overboard – sinking to the depths of the ocean, where it remained ever since.
Historians have revelled in the golden discovery, as date and mint marks remained visible on some of the coins.
They reckon as much as $400 million worth of gold, silver and jewels were lost in the storm.
This makes it one of the “greatest” maritime tragedies of the Americas, reports said.
Sal Guttoso from Queen Jewels, the firm that found the treasure, said: “This discovery is not only about the treasure itself, but the stories it tells.
“Each coin is a piece of history – a tangible link to the people who lived, worked and sailed during the Golden Age of the Spanish Empire.
“Finding 1,000 of them in a single recovery is both rare and extraordinary.”
The company made the discovery after hours combing the sea floor with specialised equipment.
And plans are currently underway for select pieces to be displayed in local museums.
Florida law means “treasure troves” belong to the state, but excavators are allowed to work under careful monitoring.
They are often given permission to conduct “recovery services” with the understanding that about 20 per cent of the unearthed materials be retained by the state.
Sal added: “Every find helps piece together the human story of the 1715 fleet.
What is the Treasure Coast?
THE Treasure Coast is a region on Florida’s Atlantic shore that includes four counties of Palm Beach, Martin St. Lucie, and Okeechobee.
Its moniker refers to the Spanish Treasure Fleet that was lost in a 1715 hurricane.
Treasure hunting took off here in the 1960s and divers still scour the area today in the hope of landing on gold.
“We are committed to preserving and studying these artifacts so future generations can appreciate their historical significance.”
It comes just months after archaeologists uncovered a 300-year-old shipwreck laden with treasure worth over £101 million.
The ship – believed to be the Nossa Senhora do Cabo – was sunk by pirates off Madagascar in 1721 during one of the most infamous raids in history.
More than 3,300 artefacts were pulled from the site, including religious figurines, gold ingots, pearls and treasure-filled chests.
One ivory plaque is inscribed with gold letters reading “INRI”, the Latin abbreviation for “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum” – meaning “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”, as recorded in the Roman gospels.
Brandon A. Clifford and Mark R. Agostini, researchers from Brown University behind the discovery, described the haul as “an eyewatering treasure, even by pirate standards”.
They estimate the cargo alone could be worth more than £108 million in today’s currency.
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