As necromancer's we relish a good story-line. A coin can be like a lusty history book: full of intrigue and adventure. A relic coin -- particularly one from a 17th century shipwreck -- does not disappoint. Here I am talking about one of my first Spanish-Colonial cobs.
Our saga begins in 1681 when a small galleon, Santa Maria de la Consolacion, left the port of Callao (Lima, Peru) packed with silver from the mines of Potosi. The ship was headed for Panama. Some 146,000 cobs, nearly 800 silver bars, plus a few gold bars were tallied on the manifest. Even more silver was likely to be hidden the hold, as smuggling was rampant to avoid royal taxes. The ship was a month behind schedule, so it sailed alone, chasing the Armada del Mar del Sur that had departed several days before. This turned out to be a tragic twist, as the ship was discovered by pirates just off the coast of Guayaquil (near present-day Ecuador).
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| This eight reales cob was almost captured by the English buccaneer Bartholomew Sharpe in 1680. Instead, it sunk with the galleon -- scuttled by its captain to avoid capture. Can you read this cob? Where did it come from? When was it made? |
As you can imagine, Sharpe was furious. He captured what crew remained and forced them to dive in shark infested waters to retrieve any treasure that had spilled from the scuttled galleon. Not much was recovered, as the sharks were fierce. The pirates subsequently executed the Spaniards. The island was henceforth known as Isla de Muerto (Dead Man's Island).
It was remembered for a long time that a sunken treasure ship laid near Guayaquil. Old maps said so. But it was not until the 1990s that local fishermen began to discover silver cobs in the area after a fishing net had snagged on an old iron anchor. Soon after, a salvage agreement was inked with the Ecuadorians. In December 2001, Spink Auctions offered the fruits of this treasure hunt -- about 8,000 cobs were sold to bidders worldwide. And, the hunt goes on today!
I got my piece of the action several years ago. And what a wonderful relic it is. This cob was part of the drama. This is a coin for the necromancer: Full of spirits. If you hold it close to your ear (as you would a conch shell), you can hear the mad shuffling of the crew and the cracking ribs within the hull, as the Consolacion wedged into the reef. The rush of the waves pouring over the gunwales and swallowing the ship in large bites is deafening. Even the profanities of the pirates as their longboat moved close can be discerned.
My piece is the perfect relic for retelling the story. The shifting sands have rubbed much of the details away, but just enough remains to identify the coin. Sometimes I think it is better to have a relic that looks the part. Some detective work required to discern the features, and the more challenging, the better. A new looking cob would be boring in comparison.
We will take a close look at what remains on this battered cob in Part 2.
