I didn't see a previous posting for this, but might have missed it. It's not US Coins, as it pertains to Britain during George I. They expect 4 tons of gold coin and most assuredly a claims contest with the UK government.
Cool, we were watching Discovery a couple nights ago...it was the Odyssey and talking about the 'largest find' etc including reference to negotiating with a government. It will be interesting to find out how it plays out--I was reading (somewhere respectable like yahoo.com I'm sure ) that when it comes to warships they are considered sovereign property and normal salvage rules do not apply. Thanks for posting this link!
A member of my church is a lawyer and works with the state department in DC, he was briefly telling me about a case that had something to do with a huge ship that was loaded with coins that was salvaged about a year ago. I didn't press him too much on the details, maybe I should.
This ship sunk during the reign of George II- This should get interesting. I have a feeling some of the Gold and Silver coins may not be of English origin. High grade gold and silver from the reign of George II is fairly rare... It will be interesting to see if the coins are recovered and how well preserved these will be. This could be huge and could dwarf the SS Central America find
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Gold, fairly pure gold, holds up well to sea water, particularly deep and cold sea water. The shipwreck effect is mainly for the more reactive silver and copper and their alloys.
<< <i>finders keepers, what ever happen to that? >>
The nation of origin of a Naval vessel retains title to the vessel and the contents for as long as the nation is sovereign, regardless of the location of the wreckage.
I have mixed opinions about these types of things.
While I do believe that the country of origin should retain possession, there should be some considerable concession ($$$) for the salvage company who finds these wrecks. I mean, it's not like GB was out looking for the thing. If Odyssey does the work, they should reap at least a healthy portion of the reward.
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A big ship for back then. Even now, it's a big ship.
1,100 men?!?
100,000 gold coins?!?
Yow!
-Paul
Cathy
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
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<< <i>finders keepers, what ever happen to that? >>
The nation of origin of a Naval vessel retains title to the vessel and the contents for as long as the nation is sovereign, regardless of the location of the wreckage.
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.american-legacy-coins.com
While I do believe that the country of origin should retain possession, there should be some considerable concession ($$$) for the salvage company who finds these wrecks. I mean, it's not like GB was out looking for the thing. If Odyssey does the work, they should reap at least a healthy portion of the reward.