Discovering Shipwreck Coins: A Treasure Hunter's Guide

Looking to find real treasure from sunken shipwrecks?

Every treasure hunter dreams of that one moment. The moment they find real shipwreck coins that have been underwater for hundreds of years. After all:

These pieces have incredible historical value
These coins also have serious profit potential

The thing is:

Finding real shipwreck coins is difficult. But if you know where to look and understand the market, you can start putting together an interesting collection of coins that enthusiasts are searching for.

If you don’t have the right information, you will waste time and money on worthless reproductions.

In this guide, I break down everything you need to know about how to find, evaluate, and collect authentic shipwreck coins that collectors are looking for.

What you’ll learn:

Why You Should Collect Shipwreck Coins
How to Tell If Shipwreck Coins Are Real
The 3 Best Places to Find Real Shipwreck Coins
Why Certain Coins Are More Rare and Valuable Than Others

Why You Should Collect Shipwreck Coins

Shipwreck coins provide incredible benefits for collectors and treasure hunters. But if you haven’t started collecting authentic coins yet – here are three reasons why you should.

Find Real Historical Artifacts

Shipwreck coins are some of the most genuine historical artifacts you can find in the field.

Why? The primary reason is that the coins come from verified shipwrecks with authentic stories that span decades.

Finding genuine 1715 fleet coins or other authenticated coins means you’re literally holding centuries of history in your hand.

Important: A crucial factor to remember is that higher authenticity will increase the value of your finds.

This year, divers working the 1715 fleet off Florida recovered over 200 silver coins from the famed Spanish treasure fleet. This discovery highlights the fact that authentic pieces are still being recovered every year.

These coins were recovered by Treasure Salvors Inc., a salvaging firm, during regular operation and maintenance. As these real coins continue to be authenticated, there is an influx in the market for verified shipwreck coins.

It makes sense, right? Authentic shipwreck coins are some of the best ways to own:

Genuine historical artifacts
Investment-grade collectibles

Put Together a Collection with Real Investment Potential

Shipwreck coins are similar to rare art pieces in that respect.

Collectors want to trust the pieces they’re buying before they hand over serious money.

So how can collectors know that your pieces are legitimate? By checking out all the authentication and paperwork from established sources.

If your collection includes authenticated pieces from trusted sources – the value of your collection will continue to go up.

Tip: Government and museum-grade authentication is one of the most valuable certifications you can get.

Generate Real Money from Rare Finds

One of the most underrated benefits of shipwreck coin collecting is the profit potential. Developing a quality collection will provide you with returns twice over.

First, authenticated pieces will appreciate over time. This means that you get to enjoy the benefit of slow and steady value growth. The profit potential comes in because authenticated coins continue to command premium prices.

The trust from people in pieces from established dealers leads to more:

Sales
Higher resale prices

That’s a win-win-win.

When a rare piece gets discovered, the whole collecting community gets excited about it. Premium pieces naturally raise your profile (and value) in the market.

What Makes Shipwreck Coin Collecting Unique?

Shipwreck coin collecting is a unique hobby. In truth, serious collectors want coins from a variety of shipwrecks and time periods.

This includes:

Spanish treasure fleets
Pirate-era ships
Pirate ships
Modern shipwrecks
Ancient trading ships

Developing a quality collection is one thing… But it’s upped a notch when you have to authenticate very specific pieces from particular documented wrecks. The secret to having success here is to make sure that you have properly authenticated pieces from verified sources.

This is different from coin collecting as you may focus on building sets before moving onto specialty pieces.

The Best Strategies to Find Authentic Coins

Onto the real treasure hunting strategies.

The strategies below work. I know because my research shows that these are the exact methods that serious collectors use to generate results.

If they can do it, you can too. Go through all the strategies, select a couple you like and implement them until you get results. Shipwreck coin collecting success is as simple as that!

Connect with Established Dealers

In shipwreck coin collecting, authentication is king.

The reason: The easiest way to start collecting shipwreck coins is to connect with established dealers that specialize in documented shipwreck pieces. Established dealers will have access to coins with proper provenance and paperwork.

Take for example, treasure hunting operations like those working the 1715 fleet off Florida continue to recover authentic coins.

Start by doing some research to identify reputable dealers who specialize in shipwreck coins. You should only work with dealers who:

Offer extensive authentication
Have decades of experience
Provide detailed provenance
Include full documentation

Treasure hunters worldwide have an estimated $60 billion of sunken treasure to discover. One of the worst things that collectors do is buy coins without proper authentication. Make sure you get full documentation for every piece you buy to make sure it’s both properly authenticated and legally obtained.

Research Historical Shipwrecks

My favorite strategy to figure out value…

Here’s how to do it: Start by researching the most well-known and documented shipwrecks where coins have been recovered.

Ideally, you want to focus on shipwrecks with authenticated recovery operations and full documentation.

Why? Coins from certain shipwrecks are more valuable because they come from famous, well-documented wrecks with verified recovery operations.

Some of the most valuable finds to date include coins from the Atocha shipwreck. Treasure hunter Mel Fisher discovered an estimated $450 million dollars of treasure on the Atocha including over 114,000 Spanish silver coins.

Learn Authentication Methods

Another way to easily verify authenticity? Learning authentication methods might be your preferred collecting strategy.

Most collectors leave authentication up to dealers. Authentication is different in that you’re learning how to evaluate coins by yourself and not having to rely 100% on the expertise of dealers.

My two favorite ways to learn about authentication are:

Documentation research
Physical examination techniques

Documentation Authentication

Documentation authentication is when you do research on the paperwork and provenance that comes with shipwreck coins. You check the documentation against known recovery operations and verified databases.

This works because you’re learning to verify the authenticity of the coins by yourself and getting better at knowing what to look for in quality pieces.

Physical Examination

Physical examination might be one of the most reliable ways to authenticate coins when you have the right skills. Shipwreck coins that are genuine tend to have specific types of wear and corrosion patterns that are difficult to fake.

The key is knowing what to look for in genuine pieces. Study authenticated examples and learn the differences between authentic coins and reproductions.

Wrapping It Up

Now you have strategies that will help you find authentic shipwreck coins. It’s important to realize that building a quality collection will take time and patience. To start seeing results, you have to be willing to put in the energy to do authentication and research.

Need help with that?

Most collectors aren’t experienced enough to authenticate pieces on their own. This is why most of them leave the authentication up to established dealers that specialize in properly documented shipwreck coins.

Before you start your collection, make sure you know the authentication requirements. Having this knowledge will help you build a collection that maintains its value and commands respect from serious collectors.