Richest Shipwreck Treasure Ever Recovered
Quote:
Deep-Sea Explorers Discover Possible Richest Shipwreck Treasure in History
Friday, May 18, 2007
TAMPA, Fla. — 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.
"For this colonial era, I think (the find) is unprecedented," said rare coin expert Nick Bruyer, who examined a batch of coins from the wreck. "I don't know of anything equal or comparable to it."
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:arrow: A photo from the "undisclosed location"
Apparently this is a publicly traded company which exists specifically to recover deep-sea sunken treasure and then sell it. It's likely no coincidence that this discovery was announced on the same day of their annual stockholders meeting. It's also no coincidence that stock of this relatively small outfit is up almost 60% today upon the announcement that they've "found" $500 million of inventory to sell.
