Treasure hunter finds gold coin worth $98,000 from the world’s most valuable shipwreck

Treasure hunter diving on the Nuestra de Atocha shipwreck site in Florida finds a gold coin worth $98K

  • Rare gold coin from ‘world’s most valuable shipwreck’ has been found off the Florida Keys
  • Zach Moore discovered the gold coin in 30 feet of water on July 16
  • It is the 121st coin found from the wreck and the first since 2001
  • The coin is estimated to be worth at least $98,000, more if it’s from a rare mint 
  • When the Nuestra de Atocha wrecked in 1622, she was carrying 40 tons of gold and silver, along with 70 pounds of emeralds worth approximately $400 million 


A rare gold coin from the ‘world’s most valuable shipwreck,’ the ill-fated Nuestra Senora de Atocha, has been found off the Florida Keys.

Zach Moore, an engineer at Mel Fisher’s Treasures, a salvage company, discovered the gold coin in 30 feet of water on July 16, the 121st coin found from the wreck and the first since 2001.

‘Today’s value is estimated to be at least $98,000, even more, if it’s from a rare mint,’ Mel Fisher’s Treasures wrote in a blog post. 

‘This new gold coin discovery comes just a few days before the 36th anniversary of the 1985 Atocha Motherload discovery,’ the salvage company added in the post.

When the Nuestra de Atocha wrecked in 1622, she was carrying an enormous amount of gold, silver, gems and other valuables bound for the new found. It’s estimate her cargo was worth approximately $400 million. 

A rare gold coin from the ‘world’s most valuable shipwreck,’ the ill-fated Nuestra Senora de Atocha, has been found off the Florida Keys

The coin, which could be worth $98,000 - or more if it's from a rare mint - was discovered in 30 feet of water on July 16

The coin, which could be worth $98,000 – or more if it’s from a rare mint – was discovered in 30 feet of water on July 16

Zach Moore (pictured), an engineer at Mel Fisher's Treasures, discovered the gold coin. It is the 121st coin found from the wreck and the first since 2001

Zach Moore (pictured), an engineer at Mel Fisher’s Treasures, discovered the gold coin. It is the 121st coin found from the wreck and the first since 2001

The Nuestra de Atocha shipwreck is about 30 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida

The Nuestra de Atocha shipwreck is about 30 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida

Moore is a member of Mel Fisher’s J.B. Magrude salvage vessel, which has been working on the shipwrecked site for some time.

Zach’s father, Bill, was part of the crew that originally discovered the Nuestra de Atocha in 1985. 

Moore (pictured) is a member of Mel Fisher's J.B. Magrude salvage vessel, which has been working on the shipwrecked site for some time

Moore (pictured) is a member of Mel Fisher’s J.B. Magrude salvage vessel, which has been working on the shipwrecked site for some time

When the Nuestra de Atocha wrecked in 1622, she was carrying an enormous amount of gold, silver, gems and other valuables bound for the new found. It’s estimate her cargo was worth approximately $400 million. 

In 2014, the Nuestra Senora de Atocha was declared the world’s most valuable shipwreck according to the Guinness Book of World Records. 

It was carrying 40 tons of gold and silver, along with 70 pounds of emeralds when it was wrecked by a hurricane in September 1622.

Only five people of her 265 crew survived the wreck, including three sailors and two slaves, who managed to escape the ship before she went under. 

Spanish salvage crews tried to find the wreck but another hurricane came through and scattered its treasures over a larger area – until Mr Fisher came along in 1985. 

In 2011, divers from Mel Fisher’s Treasures recovered a gold ring with an emerald stone worth $500,000 from the wreck.

In 2015, 40 of the items recovered from the wreckage, including a money chain, gold bars and an emerald-encrusted cross were sold at auction.

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