The Legendary 1710 Colombia 2 Escudos: A Survivor of the 1715 Fleet Disaster
Among the most remarkable treasures recovered from the fabled 1715 Fleet Shipwreck is the Colombia 2 Escudos of 1710, a coin so rare that it stands as the only known fully dated specimen from that year! Graded NGC MS62, this gleaming artifact is not just a relic of Spanish colonial wealth but also a direct witness to one of the greatest maritime disasters in history.
The Reign of Philip V and the Need for Treasure
At the time this gold escudo was struck in Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia, Spain was under the rule of King Philip V (1700–1746), the first Bourbon monarch of Spain. His reign was marked by the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), a brutal conflict fought to secure his claim to the Spanish throne after the death of the last Habsburg king, Charles II. By the war’s end, Spain was financially exhausted, and Philip V needed to replenish the royal treasury—especially as he prepared to marry his new queen, Elizabeth Farnese of Parma, who required a lavish dowry.
To finance the Spanish crown and its obligations, Philip ordered two treasure fleets to set sail from the Americas. One fleet, carrying gold and emeralds from Colombia and Peru, departed from Cartagena, while the other, loaded with silver and luxury goods from Mexico, left from Vera Cruz. The two fleets merged in Havana, forming an armada packed with the accumulated wealth of three years—valued at an astonishing 14 million pesos in registered treasure, though the true figure was likely much higher due to smuggling efforts to evade royal taxation.
The Fateful Voyage of the 1715 Fleet
On July 24, 1715, the heavily laden treasure fleet, consisting of 12 galleons, set sail from Havana, Cuba, bound for Spain. At first, the voyage was smooth, with favorable winds pushing the fleet at nearly six knots. But by July 29, disaster loomed—a powerful hurricane tore through the Caribbean, trapping the fleet off the coast of Florida. Winds of over 100 knots (115 mph) battered the ships, and by the early morning hours of July 31, eleven of the twelve ships were mercilessly driven onto reefs near present-day Vero Beach.
The devastation was catastrophic. Over 1,000 sailors perished, their bodies and the wreckage of the fleet scattered across 30 miles of Florida’s coastline. Survivors clung to debris or made it to shore, but their ordeal was far from over—sharks, hostile native tribes, and scavengers awaited them.
The Aftermath: Salvage and the Rise of Pirate’s Gold
For the next four years, Spanish salvage crews attempted to recover what they could from the wreckage, managing to reclaim only about 30% of the inventoried treasure before abandoning the effort in 1719. However, the lost fortune attracted another breed of opportunists—pirates and privateers. Among them was Henry Jennings, a former privateer turned pirate, who attacked Spanish salvage vessels and looted their recovered treasure. His actions marked the beginning of what would become the Golden Age of Piracy, and the coins from the fleet—including this 1710 Colombia 2 Escudos—became known as "Pirate’s Gold."
A Unique Survivor of the Deep
This 1710-dated 2 Escudos is more than just a rare coin—it is a time capsule of a turbulent era. Its survival, after over 300 years beneath the sea, is a testament to the enduring allure of Spanish treasure. The rich gold luster, coupled with its fully legible date, makes it a standout among 1715 Fleet recoveries. Unlike the thousands of silver reales typically found, this coin represents the true elite wealth of the Spanish Empire, struck in the very colonies that fueled Spain’s global dominance.
Even today, the 1715 Fleet continues to reveal its secrets. As recently as 2014, modern treasure hunters recovered 51 gold escudos, worth nearly $300,000, along with stunning artifacts like the Pelican in Piety medallion ($885,000). The legend of the fleet—and its lost treasure—lives on, with new discoveries fueling dreams of fortune beneath the waves.
This Colombia 1710 2 Escudos is more than just a coin—it is a tangible piece of history, a golden survivor of a king’s ambition, a queen’s dowry, and a storm that changed history forever.