AUTHENTIC SHIPWRECK COIN IN GOLD BEZEL W/ C.O.A. Silver 8 Reale recovered from the SANTIAGO sunk in 1585 Start Price USD 15.85 Current Price USD 127.04 Time Left - Bid Count 9 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, November 19, 2008 End Time Monday, November 24, 2008 Location Katy, Texas See more about 'AUTHENTIC SHIPWRECK COIN IN GOLD BEZEL W/ C.O.A. ' Description Up for bids is this authentic silver 8 reale recovered off of the wreck of the "Santiago". The "Santiago" was a very large Portuguese carrack. The "Santiago" was the flagship of a fleet of six "Indiaman" all bound for India. She departed Lisbon on April 1, 1585. Three days later the fleet encountered a severe gale. None of the ships were sunk, however, the "Santiago" was seperate from the rest of the fleet and had to continue on her way alone to India. She rounded the Cape of Good Hope on July 12th. On the night of August 19, 1585 she was under full sail and smashed head on into a reef named the Basses da India between Madagascar Island and mozambique. Upon wrecking, a scene of brutality and Horror followed. About 400 passengers died from drowning and from fighting amoung each others for space aboard two lifeboats. Only 87 survivors reached the African coast alive. In 1977, a German yachtsman, Ernst Erich Klaar, discovered the wreck. Most of the salvage was done by him and his family in 1980. This coin is one of the coins recovered from the "Santiago" by Klaar. The coin is a silver 8 reale (about the size of a U.S. half dollar) and was minted in the reign of King Philip II between 1570 to 1585. The coin shows lots of details including the cross with lions and castles on the reverse and a 95% shield visible and some lettering on the obverse. The obverse also displays a very clear "S" mint mark indicating the Seville mint. The coin comes mounted in a gold rope bezel with a large loop to accomodate a range of chain sizes. The coin also comes with a large hand-signed, gold sealed, color photo-certificate of authenticity. The certificate tells the whole story of the wreck of the "Santiago" and is signed and sealed by Mark Daniels Jewelry Company of Key Largo, Florida. The grade on the certificate gives a grade of fine, which I would compare to a Grade 1 or 2 if compared to the grading standards used for Atocha coins. Coins from the "Santiago" besides being off of ship that sank 35 years earlier, are much more scarce and are rarely found for sale. This is a great opportunity to add a seldom offered shipwreck coin to your collection or would make the perfect Christmas gift to "someone who has everything". This coin is an original, authentic 8 reale recovered from the wreck of the "Santiago" and not a reproduction. More common coins from Mel Fisher's Atocha similiar and in the same grade as this coin and similiar mounting  sell in the $1,000.00 + range in Key West but we will start the bidding at the year the ship sank and let the lucky winner take it home. Shipping and handling is $10.00. Good Luck! Also, please be sure to check out my other shipwreck related items all being listing up for auction on Ebay this week including rare artifacts from the 1715 fleet. Place a Bid!