Clive of India
Shipwreck Treasure Coins
S hipwreck Gold coins are some of the most desired pieces in the market. It is rare to possess a coin that is hundreds of years old and know the coin's complete history, especially when the coin was part of a shipwreck in the 17th century and lost at the bottom of the ocean for two centuries. This is a rare opportunity to purchase a shipwrecked Gold treasure coin with a rich history
This coin was part of a large hoard owned by Clive of India, a British decorated military officer. Clive's ship was travelling along the East African coast and was bound to India. The vessel conveying a chest of Gold 17th Century Gold coins was wrecked, with only 23 of the 270 souls on board surviving
This shipwrecked Gold treasure coin spent two-hundred years on the Indian ocean floor just off the coast of South Africa
It was discovered in 1997 and then became subject of a legal dispute between the South African government and the salvagers that laid claim to the treasure
The treasure's discovery in 1997 set-off a protracted legal dispute between the salvagers that found the loot and the South African government who also laid claim to the Gold given that it was in African waters. The two sides settled outside of court with a third of the 1,200 coins being returned to South Africa. The coins next surfaced at an auction held in the US in 2000
The auction house listed 800 Brazilian and Portuguese gold coins recovered from the wreck of the Dodington. This coin is one of 62 pieces dated 1752 in the treasure. The piece is a Gold Peca of 6,400 Reis, dated 1752 with a 'R' mint-mark for Rio, Brazil. The coin has been graded by NGC as 'saltwater damaged' owing to its time on the Ocean's floor