Treasure hunters in Brevard County, Florida, made an exciting and historic discovery in May that garnered a lot of attention.
“It was shocking in a way. It was something we never expected. We always expected it, but we never expected it,” treasure hunter and captain Grant Gitchlag said of the find. Fox 35 report Friday.
During a dive in May, the group sent a message to Sal Guttuso, who has commissioned divers to explore the Spanish ship that sank in 1715. Over two days, the hunters found 214 silver coins.
Brevard treasure hunters have made a major discovery off the coast of Florida: More than 200 silver coins have been returned to land after being sunk on a ship headed for Spain more than 300 years ago. Fox Orlando – Hear the story of the hunters who found the treasure and what the future holds for it! 🌟🌊🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/cxGeBWuDKz
— Esther Bauer (@estherbower_tv) June 21, 2024
Guttuso is 1715 Fleet Queens Jewels LLCits website Said The crew of the Lily May discovered something they called a “silver cob.”
“These are mainly high-value notes (4 and 8 reais),” the site says, praising the hunters.
The Spanish ship was originally sunk in a hurricane, Fox reported, with Guttuso adding that much of the ship was blown to pieces and the treasure scattered. Now, Guttuso is taking the treasure into his own hands.
“His company is the exclusive salvage contractor for the 1715 historic treasure ship under U.S. District Court jurisdiction. Conservation efforts are currently underway to clean all of the historic coins,” the Fox report said.
In February 2020, three men discovered a pile of 300-year-old silver coins buried on the shore of Indian River County, Florida, according to Breitbart News.
The group found 22 Spanish coins, a belt buckle, a dagger, cutlery, porcelain, household items and cufflinks.
“It’s very special to find something like this,” Jonah Martinez said. “It’s very unique and very romantic.”
Watch the video:
Martinez said he’s not crazy about the money and simply wants to preserve the treasures for future generations to enjoy.
“This is our history. We’re not trying to profit here, we’re just collecting pieces of history, which is a great thing, if you ask me,” he said.
