Incredible Treasure Find Off Dominican Republic Could Could Net ‘Millions’
- Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:01am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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It’s a discovery reminiscent of pirate times when treasure hunts produced epic open-sea battles.
A diving company has discovered a a sunken treasure off the coast of the Dominican Republic that has already produced “700 silver coins that could be worth millions, jade figurines and even a mirrored stone that was possibly used in Shamanic rituals,” London’s Daily Mail reports.
According to reports, the treasure dates back tot he 1500s.
“We only started diving last autumn and haven‘t gone down that much because it’s been the winter,” Randy Champion, vice president of the Utah-based diving company Deep Blue Marine, told the Mail.
“We have just scratched the surface,” he added. “All of the stuff we’ve found is just from mucking about really.”
For now he’s keeping quiet about what ship the team believes it found. But he isn’t shy about guessing at how much the treasure — which he says is composed of vast amounts of coins — is worth:
‘There are thousands and thousands down there,’ Mr Champion added.
Most of the coins don’t have dates on, so the team have been busy cleaning them up and trawling through reference books to identify them.
‘These coins could be worth just $1,000,’ Mr Champion said. ‘But then one similar to ours sold for $132,000 the other day.
‘They could be worth millions. But they aren’t worth anything unless someone buys them.’
One set of coins could be worth $1million on its own. The crew won’t know whether they have it until the clean up operation is complete.
The pre-Columbian carved jade figurines, all approximately 2in to 3in high, could be 500 years older than the wreck itself.
Mr Champion said some had holes in the back side suggesting they could have been part of a head piece.
This also suggests the crew of the 1500s ship probably weren’t altogether that straight laced and almost certainly stole a lot of their booty.
Champion believes the ship was headed for Spain and went down in a hurricane.
And while the dive and the ship’s booty is astonishing, even more incredible is how they found it:
They had been surveying 42 miles of coastline with high-tech equipment in an effort to find the wreck.
But they got lucky after the chance encounter with a local fisherman who sold them an old coin he had found while diving.
To their astonishment the team discovered it was one of the oldest coins ever minted and knew they had found what they were looking for.
‘We said to this guy: “If you show us where you found the coin you can come and work for us”,’ said Mr Champion.
Read the full story from the Daily Mail.
And see more pictures from Deep Blue Marine.
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Comments (56)
Shrugged
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 6:43pmThis is the kind of hope and change real americans live for. Risk, adventure, success. Go for it and enjoy before the last shred of it is stripped from us by this POTUS and his policies . . and a spinless congress on both sides of the aisle.
Report Post »proliance
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 5:32pmWill Jacqueline Bisset be there in a wet t-shirt?
Report Post »Arshloch
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 4:11pmI wonder how long it will take for some gum‘ment flack to horn in and claim the ownership of the treasure for ’the public good’? Probably after all the recovery work has been done by the company.
Report Post »trappedinwv
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 3:53pmBe careful guys, don’t step on any fish or you might have to pay the fishes family reparations.
Report Post »JGraham III
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 3:22pmThese treasure finders should adopt and adapt the Northwestern logger philosophy for the “endangered” spotted owl…SSS (shoot shovel shut up.) What Caesar doesn‘t know won’t hurt him…
Report Post »WBOB
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 3:21pmI love my some silver thar matey
Report Post »Bgravel55
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 1:10pmI would love to become a treasure hunter.
Report Post »But in the mean time I’m off to buy up some deep blue marine stock
TheGreyPiper
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:54pmLove this kind of stuff. I wish I hadn’t let my mother talk me out of studying archaeology in college, a long time ago before Indiana Jones made it cool.
Report Post »Viking64
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:53pmWhat an exciting career,looking for sunken treasure, they hit it big!
Report Post »Billsocal
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:35pmI am sure that they are happy with the silver and gold coins. But what they really want is the Jade. It worth a lot more than the gold and silver. I am sure the Dominican republic is going to take their fair share of the find.
Report Post »miles from nowhere
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:30pmIf there is any money left in the world after Obama and the UN get done ruining all financial institutions to find someone with money to buy the coins.
Report Post »teachermitch32
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:46pmJust the value of the melted gold and silver, by wieght, would be worth a fortune, if your scenario comes about. Although destruction of these treasures by melting would be a tradjedy, it might be the only way to salvage the treasure in a melted economy.
Report Post »ShyMan
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:22pmG. Gordon Liddy’s boat.
Report Post »stinkybisquit
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:07pm“If you show us where you found the coin you can come and work for us”,’ said Mr Champion. If I were the fisherman, I would have said, “No, you can work for ME.”
Report Post »Jrbroom83
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 1:23pmHe could have but he would have to finance or get someone to finance a dive that may have taken 110 yrs to find…… He had one coin u willing to put up that kind of money?
Report Post »2bluestarmom
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 2:18pmFunny Stinkybisquit however, I agree with Jrbroom83
Report Post »Vickie Dhaene
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:05pmTo the Onefromabove: If you are ever in Florida you must see the Mel Fisher museums in Key West and Sebastion. To see and feel this stuff is incredible.
Report Post »reckless
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:46amVan Jones is preparing to file suit against these “evil rapists of the undersea world” on behalf of Gaia.
Report Post »NC
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:42am“Incredible Treasure Find Off Dominican Republic Could Could Net ‘Millions
Come on guys and gals. Let’s proof the headlines. This is mistake # 2 today. Earlier it was George Sores not Soros
NC (you may remove this post, as other posts have been removed, after this mistake has been duly noted)
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:12pmIt really shouldn’t be this tough, should it NC?
Report Post »expatinontariocanada
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 1:11pmAw, be kind, maybe the writer stutters.
Report Post »Hawt'n'secksie
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:33amCould could? Awesome.
Report Post »Caniac Steve
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:21amWhile i am happy for them for the find…yet I’m waiting for some government agency from some place put out a stop order and have the divers arrested for stealing…even if they had all the permits…
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:17amAnthony Weiner says those coins are worthless!
Report Post »An AmericanMom
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:17amLook they found George Sorros’ bank!
Report Post »uvbinduped
Posted on April 29, 2011 at 2:26pmYou sure ? I thought they found his “tallywacker enlarger?”
Report Post »Sky0bserv3r
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:16amGreat for them!!!
Report Post »myfamily04
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:13amThe Deep Blue Marine company is based in the USA so they should make sure that The Lefties know how much they are making so they can tax them at 77% or whatever percent they come up with.
Report Post »Whatever percent it is it will not be enough to justify all of this SPENDING.
Sister_Mary
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:10amWatch out – The UN will be wanting thier cut for the “People of the Wolrd” – Those dive hunters are Greedy !!!! F the UN !!!!
Report Post »Mannax
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:09amWait till the government decides that they want to take them for “national treasures”.
Report Post »JP4JOY
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:22amEquador wanted to confiscate a legally found treasure in international waters a few years back and the savvy treasure hunters, not having disclosed their exact location left the treasure where it was to be recovered under more favorable conditions. These guys might have to do the same thing, time will tell.
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:08amBarry has just declared that Gold drilling off the coast of the DR. is illegal. All gold will be claimed for “Barry’s 2012 Screw America 4 More Years” tour.
Report Post »theonefromabove
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:24amI am a sucker for this kind of news. Anything to do with buried treasure excites me.
http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos
Report Post »Ironmaan
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:24amEconomic justice would dictate that the coins should be taken from those who worked very hard to retrieve them, and should be given to those folks on the laying on the beach soaking up the sun while drinking rum and coke.
Report Post »http://guerillatics.com
RightUnite
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 11:24amNow THAT is funny!
Report Post »Cymry
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:02pmHey Guys! I need some help here. I consider myself literate on US History and yet I can’t remember when they ammended the Constitution to take the Natural Born Citizen clause out. Anyone have a date?
Report Post »MEESHEL
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:03pmLOL Imam! too funny!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:10pmJust look for the US government to try and claim the treasure for themselves; that has happened in many cases off of the US coastlines by treasure hunters, even though the courts have overturned each one in the end.
Report Post »Czar Casm
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:17pmAh!! They found it! I dropped that stuff off my boat by accident awhile back. Thanks guys! Call me, I’ll come get it asap.
Report Post »Annie Fields
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 12:55pmTo “THEONEFROMABOVE” above me: “Aye matey!” ;)
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 1:15pmCool stuff!
Report Post »bbr48
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 2:26pmLove the post. You might not be too far off eh?
Report Post »Professional Infidel
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 3:13pmI can’t wait to find my chest of dollar bills!! this is only gold and silver.
Report Post »avenger
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 4:17pmyou know he is thinking abut it…
Report Post »Issachar Crust
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 4:19pmNeed any help recovering them?
Report Post »BetsyRoss1
Posted on April 28, 2011 at 6:14pmVery funny!
Report Post »