Charles & Johanna "Golden Fleece" Late Series Real ND (1554-1556) M-O XF40 NGC, Mexico City mint, Cal-74. 3.38gm. Salvaged from the Golden Fleece shipwreck found in the northern Caribbean. The Golden Fleece shipwreck is an unknown vessel in the northern Caribbean nicknamed for a royal stamping, known as Golden Fleece, that was found on several of the gold ‘finger' ingots and coins. A few dozen of these gold and silver ingots were salvaged with varying purities, reminiscent of the famous "tumbaga" bars. Significantly, it is believed that the Golden Fleece ingots are the only known examples made in the colonies between the "tumbaga" era of the 1520s and the ones found on the 1554 Padre Island Fleet. Almost all the recovered coins are Mexican Carlos-Juana silver coins (all assayers prior to S) apart from some extremely rare Santo Domingo pieces. Three pieces of the very first 8 reales ever stuck in the New World were found - the Rincón "Early Series" 8 reales of 1538. The best example of the three achieved a world record in 2006 for the highest amount ever paid at auction for a Spanish colonial coin, realizing $373,750. However, the discoverers of the wreck have not disclosed the location of the vessel or identified the ship, leaving us with only the knowledge gathered from the coins and ingots it held. It was a relatively small hoard, a few thousand, but has become the primary source of Mexican Carlos-Juana coins since the mid-1990s. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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