Coins
Countless Europeans followed in the wake of Columbus’s Santa Maria to the New World.
Like Columbus, they came for a variety of reasons; some to convert the natives, some for glory, and a few from simple curiosity.
Most came for money.
A torrent of gold and silver was soon pouring into Europe from mines in the Spanish colonial possessions.
Some of this wealth came in the form of ingots, melted down from Amerindian religious artifacts. Some came as jewelry--or even raw ore, such as gold dust or nuggets.
Most of this wealth, however, came in the form of coins—paper money, checks and bills of exchange being not generally available until relatively recent times.
A Spanish treasure galleon typically carried coinage ranging over a few years of mint production at most.
The Whydah collection on the other hand is utterly unprecedented insofar as she carried the negotiables of over fifty captured vessels. These vessels were primarily engaged in mercantile trade, as opposed to treasure transport, and so the money they carried reflects18th-century economic life in the Americas.
They have many a story to tell us…
Like a Viking hoard, this plunder is comprised of a very wide range of national origins, denominations, mintmarks, assayers’ marks, and dates.
For a variety of reasons, these coins are also in a remarkable state of preservation—as observed by the noted numismatist Henry Taylor III:
Photograph by Bill Curtsinger
“…I was absolutely amazed at the excellent condition of these coins. Most of the coins had very light superficial surface oxidation. The design detail of the majority of the coins was completely discernable. Without qualification I can truly say that I have never seen any sea-salvaged coins in such pristine condition…I have seen several rare and unlisted coins in this sampling…I am sure that many numismatical surprises await us as salvage progresses”
Taken together, the Whydah collection easily qualifies as the most important numismatic find in the Western Hemisphere.
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British Coins
French Coins
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