Philip III "São José" Cob 8 Reales ND (1620-1621) S-G Shipwreck Effect NGC, Seville mint, KM37.3, Cal-Type 171. Salvaged from the "São José " (sunk in 1622 off Mozambique, Africa). In 1622, the galleon São José hushed to Goa, India, due to reports that the British were planning on taking the strategic Hormuz island. Francisco da Gama, the great-grandson of explorer Vasco da Gama--the first European to reach India by sea--was in charge of the precious cargo which counted with thousands of silver Reales. When sailing the Mozambique channel, the fleet was attacked by Dutch and British East India Company ships, cutting the Sao Jose off and "firing more shots than in any other battle ever fought in the Indian Ocean". With many of the crew ill or deceased, the São José tried to escape--something highly unusual for the feared Portuguese naval vessels--but ended ripping its rudder on a reef. The enemy reportedly managed to pillage 66,000 Spanish Reales from the cargo, with the rest of cargo and crew sinking to the bottom of the seas. Located in 2005 by the Portuguese marine archeology company "Arqueonautas", the São José has since provided over 24,000 Silver Reales. From the William K. Harter Collection HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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