World’s biggest underwater treasure

World’s Largest Historical Shipwreck Coin Recovery Produces Record 17 Tons of Silver Currency

Odyssey Marine Exploration (AMEX: OMR), the world’s leader in the field of deep-ocean shipwreck exploration announced today that it has completed the pre-disturbance archaeological survey and preliminary excavation of a Colonial period shipwreck site code-named “Black Swan” in an undisclosed location in the Atlantic Ocean. The artifacts recovered from the site include over 500,000 silver coins weighing more than 17 tons, hundreds of gold coins, worked gold, and other artifacts. All recovered items have been legally imported into the Unites States and placed in a secure, undisclosed location where they are undergoing conservation and documentation. It is believed that this recovery constitutes the largest collection of coins ever excavated from a historical shipwreck site. They were recovered in conformity with Salvage Law and the Law of the Sea Convention, beyond the territorial waters or legal jurisdiction of any country. The Company does not believe that the recovery is subject to sovereign immunity by any nation pursuant to the Law of the Sea Convention. The work accomplished to date on this site has diligently followed archaeological protocols using advanced robotic technology, and the artifacts are now undergoing a meticulous conservation process by some of the world’s most experienced coin conservators. The Company is not prepared to disclose the possible identity of the shipwreck at this time, and may only do so after thoroughly examining the artifacts, analyzing the research and proving the identity, if possible, of the shipwreck. “Our research suggests that there were a number of Colonial period shipwrecks that were lost in the area where this site is located, so we are being very cautious about speculating as to the possible identity of the shipwreck”, said John Morris, Odyssey Co-founder and CEO. “Nevertheless, we have treated this site with kid gloves and the archaeological work done by our team out there is unsurpassed. We are thoroughly documenting and recording the site, which we believe will have immense historical significance.” “The remarkable condition of most of the first 6,000 silver coins conserved has been a pleasant surprise, and the gold coins are almost all dazzling mint state specimens.” said Greg Stemm, Odyssey’s Co-founder. “We are excited by the wide range of dates, origins and varieties of the coins, and we believe that the collecting community will be thrilled when they see the quality and diversity of the collection.” The excavation of this site follows Odyssey’s successful excavation of the SS Republic®, a shipwreck lost in 1865 off the US coast. The deep ocean robotic archaeological excavation of that site produced approximately 65,000 artifacts, including over 50,000 coins with a retail value of over $75 million. The company is continuing operations on several other projects with its ships and ROV systems, and is currently awaiting the appointment of Spanish archaeologists following an arrangement with the Spanish Government and the Junta of Andalucia prior to resuming operations on the Sussex project pursuant to an agreement with the UK Government. For security reasons, as with the “Black Swan” project, the company may only announce the results of the other current projects after completion of the excavations or delivery of the artifacts to a safe location. About Odyssey Marine Exploration Odyssey Marine Exploration is a Publicly Traded US Company with several shipwreck projects in various stages of development throughout the world. Additional information about Odyssey, the “Black Swan” project, and the Company’s other activities is available at shipwreck.net.
Courtesy of shipwreck.net

Here’s a video I found…

Treasure Hunting Research

Besides dry land digging or underwater treasure hunts, we have yet to cover a few very important treasure hunting techniques. These require no physical strength; no special equipment; and no travel.

Antique shops are sometimes cute and quaint, but more often look like a place you wouldn't set foot in. Why not? Because everything is so old, and used...

That's exactly the point! Who knows what kind of treasures you may find in an antique shop? People send their items to these shops when they don't want them anymore. Or the antiques dealer has done the real work for you; traveling around to find objects of interest from years past.

Either way, there are deals to be had. Sometimes even the dealer doesn't realize the value of an item. If you've ever watched Antiques Roadshow, a popular TV where people have their antiques appraised by professionals in front of a national audience, you should know that people grab up deals in these shops every day.

There are plenty of treasures to be found in antique shops, if you know what you are looking for.

Old photographs

Photographs of famous people might have some monetary value. Likewise, complete albums of certain families or groups could also be valuable to some descendents of those in the photos. Even if the photo seems obscure or relatively worthless, it is a treasure if you find it beautiful and can find a place to display it in your home.

Contact the Author
Albert Smith

albert@treasure-hunting-research.com
More Details about Treasure hunting for beginners here.
http://treasure-hunting-research.com

Treasure Hunting Methods to Add Fun, Excitement & Adventure to Your Life

Treasure hunting is a rather contagious pastime. People worldwide are fascinated with the hobby of treasure hunting.

Coming across a valuable item in your treasure hunt can be a real thrill. Even an item that may not have monetary value could be personally attractive to the right hunter. Part of the thrill is in the chase; not knowing what you may find lends a sense of mystery and intrigue to the treasure hunt.

In years past, a treasure hunt could have been a very dangerous quest. Pirating was rampant, with several competitive and devious hunters often after the same prize. Quite often, the myth or rumor of a valuable buried or sunken treasure led to bloodshed and fighting between hunters.

Before airplanes became the preferred method of worldwide travel, those in search of life in a new land would travel by ship to their new destination. One might pack several trunks of furs, coins, jewelry, dishware, and other valuable goods to take with them to their new life.

Ships were always on the look out for pirates that may try to board and rob, or even kill, the passengers onboard.

While this high seas robbery is certainly not called treasure hunting, it demonstrates just how vulnerable these 'treasures' were. People traveling away from home were not only vulnerable to theft while sailing; these pirates had no qualms about robbing a ship after a natural disaster struck.

Ships sailing far from home had to endure terrible storms, barrier reefs, extremely high waves and more as they slowly made their way from one point to the next. Unfortunately, many ships succumbed to the dangers they faced, and sank. Tales and fables would develop about the location of the sunken ship and its possible contents. For example, if a royal family member or businessman was on board, one might assume that quite a bit of valuable merchandise sank with the ship.

If the ship was not immediately located, an air of mystery would develop around the tale as it was passed down through generations of curious people.