We’d like to start by letting you in on a new feature at the Provident Metals Blog.
While we’re confident we’ve developed a top-notch resource for silver-and-gold bullion investors, our blog has focused almost entirely on the “bread and butter” of precious metals investment.
Until now.
The truth is, gold, silver and other precious metals have colorful histories all their own—and they’re dying to be told.
In an effort to share some of these rich (and often mind-boggling) stories with our readers, Provident Metals will be adding regular blog posts on historical topics related to precious metals.
Without further ado, we’d like to start with a story that inspired our latest blogging endeavor: a story of sunken ships, buried treasure, harrowing tragedy and heart-stopping endings.
The Story of the Great Atocha
Sometime around September 6, 1622, the Spanish ship Nuestra Señora de Atocha (Our Lady of Atocha, named after a shrine in Madrid), was sailing near the Florida Keys, destined for Spain.
After leaving Havana, Cuba, the Atocha and her sister-ship, the Santa Margarita, found themselves at the center of a ferocious hurricane between Key West and the Dry Tortugas.
Loaded with precious cargo from present-day Colombia and Panama—gold, silver, copper, jewels, tobacco and indigo—terrible winds thrust the ship into the coral reef. Her hull smashed, the Atocha sunk, taking most of her crew, along with a massive treasure, to their watery grave.
There they remained, half forgotten, for 350 years.
A Remarkable Quest: Mel Fisher and the Bank of Spain
Any visitor to Key West at the southernmost reaches of Florida, has heard of legendary explorer and treasure-hunter, Mel Fisher. His picturesque museum is, after all, one of the most interesting attractions in the tiny island town.
The adventurer, along with a team of dedicated archaeologists and engineers, spent 16 and-a-half years—most of the 1970s and early 80s—searching for the lost treasure of the Atocha. By then, the site had been dubbed The Bank of Spain.
Yet during his tireless quest, tragedy—tinged with irony—struck Mel Fisher’s family in the summer of 1975 when their oldest son Dirk, his wife and another diver lost their lives when their boat capsized that July.
The crushing loss was not the only obstacle between Fisher and his sunken treasure. Indeed, centuries of powerful currents and storms strewed the Atocha’s wreckage across the ocean floor.
But Mel Fisher was unflappable, and he was known for his positive outlook. His crew, the researchers and other team members fondly remember the explorer’s circadian mantra: Today’s the Day.
He said it before every outing.
An Incredible Discovery: The Atocha Motherlode and 40 Tons of Precious Metal
July 20, 1985 was Mel Fisher’s day.
The discovery—named The Atocha Motherlode—was breathtaking.
It included 40 tons of gold and silver: 114,000 Spanish silver coins, 1000 silver ingots, gold coins, Colombian emeralds, and other priceless artifacts. All in all, the treasure was worth a whopping $450 million.
And that was only half of it.
The wealthiest parts of the ship are yet to be found. More than 300 silver bars and eight bronze cannons are still unaccounted for. The search continues to this day.
That’s not to pooh-pooh Fisher’s discovery, of course. Exhuming more than 40 tons of perfectly good gold and silver from the bottom of the sea is nothing short of a miracle.
A Gold and Silver Legacy
Mel Fisher died in 1998. Visitors of the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum can purchase a piece of his treasure—ensuring he and the Atocha are never forgotten—by way of coin, ingot and jewelry. And the story of the Great Atocha, her mother lode, and the lives lost in the quest for sunken treasure will surely go down in infamy.
What do you think?
The fact that the Atocha’s fortune was still pure (and valuable!) after spending 350 years at the bottom of the sea is definitely worth thinking about. Clearly, gold, silver, platinum and palladium stand the test of time.
Send us your reactions to this fascinating story. Drop us a line below, or leave us a comment on Facebook or Twitter.
I have 2 charms from silver off of the atocha. I recently purchased an 8 reale coin with coa at an auction. The story is fascinating. I’ve worn one of the coin charms on a chain around my neck since the day I bought it..