Rooswijk Shipwreck – Spanish Colonial AR Cob 8 Reales – Mexico City Mint

Shipwreck – Silver Cob – 8 Reales. Spanish Colonial, Mexico City

Salvaged from the “Rooswijk” (sunk in 1739 off the Goodwin Sands, Southeast England).

Obv: Philip V royal coat of arms surrounded by legend and date. Mexico City MM

Rev: Spain coat of arms.

1724 – Before 1739 · Mexico City Mint · KM47

26.6g · 40mm

The Rooswijk was an 850-ton cargo ship that set sail from Holland with the Dutch East India Company’s Christmas Fleet on January 8, 1739. This was supposed to be its second voyage to the Dutch Indies under Captain Dan Ronzieres, but it was caught by a storm only one day into its voyage. The Rooswijk was hammered into a shallow sand bar and thus lost by the Dutch for over 265 years. In 2004, a Cambridgeshire carpenter was diving on Goodwin Sands and spotted an old wooden wreck complete with intact crates. In the crates, he proceeded to uncover Mexican silver coins, V.O.C ingots, and other historical artifacts. Throughout the next year, an archeological salvage team recovered and identified the lost treasure of the Rooswijk. An estimated 20,000 silver and gold coins, rare Pillar Dollars of Mexico City (1720s-1730s), Cob “Pieces of Eight” (8 Reales), Klippes (1733-1734), silver bars, and other artifacts were successfully salvaged from the site. Today, the Rooswijk is now a protected historical wreck site under United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Dutch legislation that has prevented further salvaging from occurring.