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The 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet was a group of galleons enroute to Spain when they were struck by a hurricane on July 31, 1715, with most of the ships sinking near the coast of Florida between Sebastian Inlet and Ft. Pierce, an area now known as the Treasure Coast because of the large amount of Spanish Treasure found there. This 8 reale was minted at the Mexico City Mint around 1714. It has a large rectangular planchet where the silver was just cut from a bar and stamped as it was. The obverse bears the shield of Phillip V of Spain. The reverse features the Florenzada Cross unique to the Mexico Mint. This is a very interesting period in the minting process at the Mexico Mint. The shapes of the coins were unusual. This coin is in the original flippet from the when they were for sale in the Kip Wagner Real Eight Corp. gift shop at Cape Canaveral with the original price tag on it. The coin has an original Robert Marx Certificate. Marx is one of the most famous treasure hunters in history, and his books about the subject are among the best ever written. They can be found on almost any treasure website and at Amazon.com The combination of the unusual shape, the original flippet and the Bob Marx certificate makes this a very rare and collectible Spanish Treasure Coin from one of the most siginificant treasure finds on the Florida Coast. Measures 36 by 27 mm.
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