Durham Treasure Coins
(1621-1630)MO Mexico 8 Reales Spice Islands Shipwreck

Owner Comments:

I purchased this coin from the 63rd Houston Money Show. As a shipwreck collector, I was surprised to see this particular coin because I had not run across it before in a NGC slab. After some brief discussion, I learned that it was a rather fresh batch from a recent salvage operation. The dealer had quite a few examples of this exact date and type at a more than fair flat price! I spent some time picking one out that had what I would call a Grade 1 obverse and reverse in respect to the available inventory at the table.

The Spice Islands are a small group of islands NE of Indonesia. An unknown ship is presumed to have sunk circa 1630 leaving behind several chests of 8 Reales minted in Mexico City and Potosi during the reign of King Philip IV of Spain. Given how long it was at the bottom of the sea, this is a really good example given the effects saltwater has on silver.