Shipwreck Coins to be sold on QVC

[Drusus]

The Franklin Mint Acquires a Treasure-Trove of Artifacts

 

 

The Franklin Mint has acquired virtually all recovered contents from "El Cazador" ("the hunter"), an 18th-century Spanish "Brig of War" sunk in 1784 and discovered in 1993.

 

Lost at sea in 1784, El Cazador remains one of the most significant shipwrecks in history. The Spanish Crown's equivalent of an "armored car," the ship was loaded with 450,000 pesos of silver reales minted to provide financial support to the failing economy of Spanish-held Louisiana. The loss of this ship led Spain to forfeit control of its New World territories to Napoleon, who later sold them to President Thomas Jefferson in the Louisiana Purchase. It was this landmark event that instantly doubled the size of the United States of America and helped define the shape of the nation we know today.

 

"This is one of the most profound discoveries of our time and the greatest offering in the history of The Franklin Mint," said M. Moshe Malamud, chairman of The Franklin Mint. "Not only is this the largest hoard of 18th-century silver coins ever recovered, the loss had a momentous positive impact on our nation. The Franklin Mint will now make it possible for the public to own a highly coveted and valuable piece of history."

 

The estimated retail value of the ship's recovered treasures in today's market could exceed $100 million. The shipwreck's contents include a large cache of valuable silver coins (recognized as one of the very first U.S. dollars since it pre-dates the formation of the U.S. mint in 1792), the ship's bell, bronze cannons, 500-lb anchor and other precious artifacts.

 

Now, to share with the public this amazing story of discovery and historical significance of the El Cazador shipwreck, The Franklin Mint is poised to commence the most far-reaching marketing program since the company was founded in 1964. The rarest of a few select coins will be sold at public auction. Additional rare and lost treasure coins and jewelry in limited-edition offerings are scheduled to be available to order on QVC, one of the world's largest multimedia retailers, April 17, 2007 beginning at midnight (ET). QVC viewers will have the chance to hear one of history's greatest tales during special programming throughout the day.

 

The ship's treasure coins have been professionally evaluated and graded by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), the leading independent authenticator of shipwreck artifacts, and plans for future preservation of the ship's archives (including those yet to be recovered) are underway.

 

This offering is the result of a painstaking, decade-long recovery and restoration process - one of the most ambitious recovery efforts ever taken on. The silver coin artifacts have suffered the ravages of the sea after more than 220 years and were originally found with the appearance of pitted rock, with each coin having to go through a special desalination and time-consuming cleaning process in order to preserve the highest quality. Each coin artifact was then meticulously examined by NGC professionals, cataloged and preserved within a sonically sealed, security holder.

 

"There is no question that the historical significance and value of the coins recovered from El Cazador have earned her a place alongside the most famous shipwrecks of all-time such as the Atocha and S.S. Republic," Mr. Malamud concluded.

 

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QVC? Well, I saw pictures of a few of the coins, the were Charles III reales...One good thing about this is at least you know for a fact the coin is real...I know this type of coin is faked quite a bit. I would say that I wish they had picked a more numismatic oriented seller but a middle man is a middle man so I guess it doesnt matter....I think I am going to watch QVC for the first time ever next month