As-recovered silver reales with greenish corrosion from copper traces, stored in a chest post-salvage from the 1715 Treasure Fleet shipwrecks. Credit: 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels, LLC.
VERO BEACH, Florida – A treasure-hunting salvage operation has struck gold—literally—off Florida’s coast, recovering more than 1,000 silver and gold coins valued at an estimated $1 million from the wreckage of the infamous 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet.
The haul, announced by 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels, LLC, includes over 1,000 Spanish silver reales and five gold escudos, along with other rare gold artifacts, pulled from the ocean floor during the 2025 summer salvage season.
The company’s team, led by Captain Levin Shavers aboard the M/V Just Right, made the discovery in waters along Florida’s “Treasure Coast,” where the fleet met its doom in a devastating hurricane on July 31, 1715.
The 1715 fleet, en route from the New World to Spain laden with riches from colonies in Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia, was battered by the storm, resulting in the loss of an estimated $400 million in gold, silver, and jewels—a catastrophe that has captivated historians and adventurers for centuries.
Many of the recovered coins, often called “pieces of eight,” still show clear mint marks and dates, hinting they originated from a single chest that burst open amid the chaos.
Sal Guttuso, director of operations for 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels, LLC, emphasized the find’s broader significance beyond its monetary value.
“This discovery is not only about the treasure itself, but the stories it tells,” he said. “Each coin is a piece of history, a tangible link to the people who lived, worked, and sailed during the Golden Age of the Spanish Empire. Finding 1,000 of them in a single recovery is both rare and extraordinary.”
Guttuso added that the artifacts help reconstruct the human element of the tragedy. “Every find helps piece together the human story of the 1715 fleet,” he noted. “We are committed to preserving and studying these artifacts so future generations can appreciate their historical significance.”
As the exclusive salvor appointed by the U.S. District Courts for the 1715 fleet remains, 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels, LLC operates under stringent state regulations and archaeological protocols to ensure responsible recovery. Salvage activities are restricted to the company’s approved subcontractors.
The coins will now undergo conservation processes before public display. The company plans to exhibit select items at local museums, allowing residents and tourists to connect with this slice of Florida’s maritime heritage.
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