Owner Comments:
Rare (R3 Crellin)
Mintage 2,814,000 includes Shield and St. George reverses
Victoria Young Head
Head Shield Reverse
First year minted at
Sydney Mint
Originally sold
Spink auction 118, Novermber 1996
RMS Douro
The RMS Douro was built in 1865 at Caird & Co. Shipyards, Scotland.
On 31st March 1882, the Douro departed Lisbon (Portugal) heading for Southampton. To make up for a delay she set sail full steam ahead, heading north off the west coast of Portugal.
On April Fool's day she passed Cape Finesterre (also known as the “Coast of Death”). The Fourth Officer noticed a ship in the distance two miles away but was sure the Officer on the Bridge was keeping watch. However the Officer on the Bridge spotted it too late and the Douro and the Spanish Steamship Yrurac Bat, collided. Within just 30 minutes the Douro had sunk, and the Yrurac Bat followed shortly after. In total 59 passengers and crew from both vessels drowned in the tragic accident. As per seafaring tradition, The Douro's Captain, four of the Senior Officers, and the Chief and Second Officer went down with the ship along with the opulent hoard of gold and jewels.
Recovery
Since the tragic demise of the Douro, the search for her wreck began in 1949 by Thomas Pickford. Nigel Pickford who rediscovered this note 30 years later decided to pursue the research. After ten years of research, Pickford was able to draw up a plan to put to Sverker Hallstrom, a Marine salvage specialist. A cargo of gold had previously never been recovered from inside a collapsed iron hull in waters of 1,500 feet deep. Two arduous years of work using various methods and equipment ensued, with numerous cases of mistaken identity in the process. The Deep Sea Worker, a drill ship was then used to bring up a host of crockery all bearing the ships name as well as wine bottles and other goods. The pivotal moment came when the Salvers came across thousands of gold coins brought up from the seabed. The Salvage Master estimated a 93% recovery. This included several numbered and un-numbered gold bars. The treasure was taken to Jersey and officially declared to the appropriate authorities. One year and a day was the required period until the gold was released, and 4 months later it was auctioned at Spink & Son.
Whatever the cause of the ill-fated demise of the Douro, the recovery of the precious cargo is a remarkable and somewhat momentous event in both historical and technological terms. It can only go without saying how historically valuable the gold sovereign coins recovered from the wreck are and how exciting it is to come across such coins that have been involved in the tragic downfall of the elegant RMS Douro.
Douro Hoard
A limited number of coins from the famous Douro cargo have been certified by PCGS and NGC. Sovereigns with the Douro pedigree generally trade at a premium, although the coins themselves are not known for their high quality.