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"The Nuestra Señora Del Rosario was one of the ill-fated ships in the legendary “Spanish Treasure Fleet” of 1622. These 28 ships, laden with treasure from the New World, were hit by a storm that sank eight of their number. Luckily, some coins from the Rosario were discovered, making them some of the scarcest shipwreck coins ever! This is your chance to secure an 8 Reales silver coin now from the famous shipwreck, certified and slabbed by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) as official Shipwreck Effect!
One of history’s most tragic – and expensive – maritime disasters, the loss of the eight treasure-laden ships from Spain’s 1622 flotilla changed the course of world events. From 1530 to 1735, Spain received a biannual convoy of ships from the New World. The valuable treasure the ships brought home enabled Spain to pay off foreign money leaders and the steady income made Spain a superpower. In 1622, Spain was hip deep in the Thirty Years War against the French and Dutch and the loss of the Nuestra Señora Del Rosario along with the seven other ships destroyed the Bank of Madrid – and even contributed to the collapse of the Spanish Empire.
The shipment in 1622 looked to be one of Spain’s biggest hauls yet. There was so much treasure to be loaded that it delayed the fleet’s departure by more than two months, forcing the fleet to leave in August just as the hurricane season was blowing into the Caribbean. By the time the fleet reached the Florida Keys powerful winds and high seas battered the ships and the convoy became separated. Twenty vessels managed to make deeper water and were able to ride out the storm. The eight ships in the rear of the convoy were caught and were either destroyed on shallow reefs or capsized and sank. The two most famous ships lost were the Atocha and the Santa Margarita.
Spain spent years trying to recover the treasure, but after another hurricane blew in and scattered what remained of the ships, the efforts were eventually abandoned only to be renewed centuries later by modern treasure hunters equipped with the high-tech equipment and modern diving techniques. The remains of the Nuestra Señora Del Rosario were first discovered in 1989 around 400 miles from the Florida Keys. Even though experts believed it was part of the fabled 1622 fleet, her identity wasn’t confirmed until 2013. Besides the gold bars and silver Pieces of Eight that were found, one of the more unusual items discovered was a cache of more than 6,000 rare pearls. The gems came from a type of oyster unique to South America and nearly extinct by the early 17th century thanks to over-exploitation by colonial traders.
Coins form the Nuestra Señora Del Rosario shipwreck are among the rarest shipwreck coins in the world. Only 332 coins of all denominations have ever been certified by NGC with the Rosario shipwreck designation. These 8 Reales recovered from the Nuestra Señora Del Rosario are the fabled “Pieces of Eight” from pirate lore struck from 1556-1622 and minted in fine 93% silver. Coins like this circulated throughout the Americas and were legal tender in the United States up until 1857!"