The 1715 Fleet Society Silver Cob Research Collection By The 1715 Fleet Society
Two examples of 1715 Mexico Eight Reales with full, complete dates. Courtesy of the 1715 Fleet Society.
A few hundred yards off the East Coast of Florida between Fort Pierce and Sebastian lie the decaying remains of one of the richest treasure fleets ever assembled: the Spanish Plate Fleet of 1715. A tremendous quantity of silver coinage sailed in the hulls of that doomed fleet. Since the early 1960s, salvage efforts have recovered tens of thousands of silver coins known as “cobs.” Unlike modern coins that are mass-produced by precision equipment, these coins were all handmade. As such, no two are alike. They are crude, to be sure. Yet, in their crudeness lies their beauty. Thousands of these coins with many spectacular examples have been marketed over the years. However, they have, with a few notable exceptions, gone largely unstudied. One of the goals set by the 1715 Fleet Society was to publish on its website a sample of some of the finest Fleet silver coins known to us in private hands.
On the left is a 1687 Eight Reals from the Potosi Mint and on the right is a 1690 Eight Reales, also hailing from the Potosi Mint. Courtesy of the 1715 Fleet Society. It is to be noted that our focus is primarily on dated material. It is estimated that over 98% of recovered Fleet coins lack dates. This is due to the primitive and often hasty minting process implemented at that time. Most dated specimens will be coins from the Spanish PCGS MARKET REPORT JAN/FEB 2024
colonial mint at Mexico City and date between 1711 and 1715, although earlier dates have been identified in lower quantities. Other colonial mints are also represented, specifically Potosi and Lima. These coins range from 1665 to 1700. In assembling our collection, particular emphasis was given to those factors that should be considered when grading such coins. While undated coins have their own unique characteristics, our focus has been on the grading of dated coins, as they are rarer and more sought after. In addition to the date, which can be full (with all four digits showing) or partial (with only part of the date visible), other key factors are weight, strike (obverse and reverse), the presence of mint and assayer marks, corrosion, and eye appeal. Feel free to enjoy our entire collection on our website at 1715fleetsociety.com.
A 1692 Eight Reales from the Lima Mint and A 1703 Eight Reales from the Lima Mint. Courtesy of the 1715 Fleet Society.
Founded in 2008, the 1715 Fleet Society was established to promote public awareness and scholarly study of all facets of the 1715 Fleet shipwreck disaster. The 1715 Fleet Society is a nonprofit corporation with members from across the globe who share a passion for history, treasure, and underwater archaeology.
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