1598-1628 Mexico 8 Reales NGC VF20 – Lucayan Beach Wreck
Item #CC-0737 | 1598-1628 Mexico 8 Reales NGC VF20 – Lucayan Beach Wreck
Mint: Mexico City
Assayer: N/V
Ruler/Period: King Philip II or III
Weight: 26.73 grams
For details and population on this coin from NGC, click on the serial number here: 8422856-004
Description: For the discerning shipwreck collector, finding a silver coin with a straight grade off a wreck is extremely hard to come by. This Mexico 8 Reales likely was in the center of a group, largely preserving the overall condition of the piece. A full shield can be seen on the obverse, with the reverse having a largely intact cross with castles and lions. The early 1600s style florenzada cross from the Mexico mint is seen here as well. This is one of the best coins we have seen off the wreck, and will make an exceptional addition to any shipwreck collection.
The Lucayan Beach treasure find refers to a remarkable discovery made in the early 1960s off the coast of Grand Bahama Island, near Lucayan Beach. Divers uncovered a large cache of Spanish colonial treasure, including gold jewelry, silver coins, emeralds, and other artifacts, believed to have come from a 17th-century Spanish shipwreck. While the exact identity of the ship remains debated, many researchers associate the treasure with vessels lost from the 1622 Spanish treasure fleet, which was devastated by a hurricane in the Florida Straits and Bahama waters. The discovery drew international attention, sparked legal battles over salvage rights, and played a major role in launching modern shipwreck treasure hunting in the Bahamas. Today, the Lucayan Beach find remains one of the most famous and mysterious treasure discoveries in Caribbean maritime history.
The Lucayan Beach treasure find has long been linked by some historians and treasure researchers to the famed Dutch privateer Piet Hein, though the connection remains debated rather than proven. Piet Hein famously captured the Spanish Silver Fleet in 1628, seizing an enormous haul of silver, gold, and trade goods—much of which temporarily vanished from official records. Some researchers believe that part of this captured treasure may have been hidden, lost, or redistributed through secondary ships operating in Bahamian waters, possibly explaining the rich cache found off Lucayan Beach. The mix of high-value jewelry, loose coins, and scattered artifacts—rather than an intact wreck—has fueled speculation that the treasure could represent offloaded or concealed loot rather than a single shipwreck cargo. While no definitive evidence ties the Lucayan Beach treasure directly to Piet Hein, the theory adds an intriguing pirate-era layer to one of the Caribbean’s most mysterious treasure discoveries.
In stock
$1,800.00
