Philip V of Spain (1700–1746). Gold Cob 4 Escudos, 1715, Mexico City mint, assayer J. “1715 Fleet Shipwreck.” NGC MS62 (tied for finest known). 13.3 grams. Cal-2030; KM-55.2.

A luminous survivor of one of the most storied shipwrecks in history, this impressive 4 Escudos cob was struck at the Mexico City mint in the opening years of Philip V’s Bourbon dynasty. Though boldly off-center, the coin preserves crucial diagnostics: the final digit of its date plainly discernible upon the flan, together with a clear “o” from the Mexico City mintmark. At once raw and regal, its crudeness speaks of urgent minting for New World bullion transport, while its intact luster confirms why it ranks among the highest graded examples, tied for finest known at NGC—only nine such coins certified in total.

The coin’s dramatic provenance traces to the legendary 1715 Treasure Fleet, a convoy of eleven Spanish galleons laden with immense wealth from the Americas, which met its fate in the early hours of July 31, 1715, when a hurricane dashed the armada along Florida’s eastern coast. The disaster claimed over a thousand lives and scattered untold riches across the seabed, igniting centuries of salvage attempts and embedding the 1715 Fleet into maritime lore as one of the greatest treasure wrecks of all time.

This coin not only embodies that fateful summer night but also the dawn of Bourbon Spain, when Philip V—grandson of Louis XIV of France—fought to stabilize his rule after the War of the Spanish Succession. Each surviving escudo from the fleet bridges continents and centuries, evoking both imperial ambition and the peril of transatlantic trade.
​
An exceptional piece of numismatic and shipwreck history, in a condition seldom encountered, and carrying all the romance, tragedy, and rarity that makes 1715 Fleet gold one of the most desirable categories in the collecting world.