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Real Eight Corporation was the first major treasure hunting corporation. It was founded by Kip Wagner and 8 other people in the mid-1960's when they started finding treasure coins on the beaches on the Florida East Coast. Bob Johnson was one of the original founders, and this was one of his coins. Real Eight was responsible for the world's most famous treasure hunter Mel Fisher coming to Florida. He was hired by Kip Wagner to salvage the 1715 Fleet early on. The coin is an eight reale minted at the Mexico City Mint during the reign of Phillip V of Spain. At that time the king of Spain didn't really care what the coins looked like as long as they weighed the right amount of silver and the silver was the right fineness. They were often irreuglar, rectangular, and many other shapes. This one is no exception being rectangular and measuring 32 by 40 millimeters. The coin is mounted in a heavy 14 kt. yellow gold bezel with a boat shackle that should fit any chain at the top. Don't miss out on this true piece of history.