Shipwrecked treasure ship yields historic riches POSTED: 7:42 a.m. EDT, May 18, 2007 Story Highlights• 17 tons of colonial-era coins worth $500 million, Odyssey Marine Exploration says • Salvage project "Black Swan" in Atlantic Ocean cloaked in secrecy • Court records show coins might be from a 400-year-old ship found off England • "Unprecedented" find from colonial era, rare coin expert says
Adjust font size: TAMPA, Florida (AP) -- Deep-sea explorers said Friday they have mined what could be the richest shipwreck treasure in history, bringing home 17 tons of colonial-era silver and gold coins from an undisclosed site in the Atlantic Ocean. Estimated value: $500 million.
A jet chartered by Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration landed in the United States recently with hundreds of plastic containers brimming with coins raised from the ocean floor, Odyssey co-chairman Greg Stemm said. The more than 500,000 pieces are expected to fetch an average of $1,000 each from collectors and investors.