History:

Most ships eventually sink. Most are in water not deeper than 50 feet. Before there were trains, planes or automobiles, there were ships and nearly all goods purchased by one country from the other were transported by ships. The most popular of all treasure wrecks are the Spanish galleons which carried gold, silver and gems from the Americas back to Spain. Their losses were heavy due to storms, reefs and pirates. Many such galleons have been found and recovered and a few have topped the $300 million mark. Values are high due to the prices paid for "pieces of eight" and "gold escudos." An average one ounce silver piece of eight, sometimes referred to as a "cobb" sell for around $100. Some have gone for as much as $15,000 each. As for gold coins, an average escudo can fetch up to $7,000 on today�s market. Personal jewelry can be even more valuable.

Many people are not familiar with another treasure route called the East Indiamen. These ships were owned and operated by the major powers of Europe and included the Dutch, English, Portuguese and French. These ships carried Spanish silver and gold to Africa, India and on to China and Japan.  There, they traded their cargos for rare spices, silks, gems such as rubies and diamonds, opium and Chinese porcelains. It is said that nearly 50% of all Portuguese East Indiamen never made it home to Lisbon. Their remains are scattered all along the African coast and into Indonesia.  The same can be said for the other countries. In the 1700�s, an English East Indiaman would carry up to 250,000 pieces of beautiful blue and white Chinese porcelain. The china was placed in wooden chests and put in the very bottom of the ships. One such East Indiaman, the "Gelder Malsen", recovered in Indonesia in 1986 brought an amazing $40 million at auction. 210,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain were recovered unbroken!

Each shipwreck carries it�s own sad story and each is unique. Our company feels that it is far better to recover the artifacts than to let them either sit under the sand; unseen and unappreciated or, to let them be looted by modern-day-pirates.  Our company always tries to work with the governments or we simply do not do it.

This is Dr. William Wallace's letter to us speaking of where, based on his research and the research of Scripps Institute of Oceanography, the "Blessing of Burntisland" wreck is most likely sitting in the river." Click on letter to view a larger image.

This is the handwritten list of the King's Jewel House Keeper, Sir Henry Mildmay, of some of the dinnerware items lost in Scotland and which were ordered replaced. You will note on the left hand column next to some names of men in charge of some of the treasure, the word "mort." That means they died. We found Mildmay's diary at the Somerset Museum in Taunton, England in 1999.