Philip V "Hollandia" 8 Reales 1741 Mo-MF AU (Saltwater Effect), Mexico City mint, KM103. 26.1gm. Extremely luminous and well-preserved, one of the best salvaged renditions of the type this cataloger has encountered. Salvaged from the "Hollandia" (sunk in 1743 off the isles of Scilly, England). Accompanied by COA. Belonging to the Dutch East India Company, the Hollandia met her demise during its inaugural voyage in July of 1743. Leaving the port of Texel with a convoy bound for Batavia in the Dutch East Indies, the Hollandia became lost in dense fog around the Scilly Islands. It struck rocks a few kilometers outside the island of Annet, but after firing cannons and unsuccessfully alerting locals, the entirety of the 276-member crew and its treasure perished. The cargo it carried contained several barrels filled with silver coins worth approximately 129,000 florins. Many were Spanish issues of four and eight Reales that were minted in Mexico and Bolivia, hardly having time to circulate before the tragedy. Some of the rarer issues included Mexican "Klippes" (1733-1734), Cobs from Guatemala, and Ducatons from the Netherlands. These coins, and many more artifacts, were found and recovered over 200 years later in 1971 by London explorer Rex Cowan. Cowan, and a team of divers, archeologists, and specialists, began an archeological excavation that covered 180 meters by 100 meters. In two years, over 35,000 silver coins and bronze artifacts were recovered, with most coins being Mexican eight Reales "columnarios" (silver coins that feature the column motif, minted in Spain from 1732-1773). HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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