Peru 1711 2 Escudos "1715 Fleet Shipwreck" NGC 66 Custom Black Holder Philip V of Spain | 1711 | Lima Mint | Spanish Colonial Gold Cob | 6.77 grams | NGC MS 66 | 2015 Douglass Beach Find

This exceptional gold 2 escudos brings together two distinct chapters of Spanish colonial history: the production of royal gold coinage in Lima, Peru, and the catastrophic loss of Spain’s 1715 Treasure Fleet off the coast of Florida. Struck in 1711 during the reign of Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, this coin was created more than three centuries ago to serve an empire whose wealth depended heavily on precious metals extracted and processed throughout the Americas. Its later recovery from the Douglass Beach shipwreck site connects it directly to one of the most famous treasure recoveries in modern numismatics. Certified NGC Mint State 66, it is an exceptional surviving example of an early eighteenth-century Spanish colonial gold cob.

The Lima mint was one of the Spanish Empire’s most important centers for producing precious-metal coinage. Gold escudos struck there circulated through the commercial networks linking South America, the Caribbean, and Spain, supporting royal finances and international trade. The 2 escudos denomination was equivalent to two gold escudos, or one-quarter of a traditional eight-escudos piece. Unlike later machine-struck coins with uniform circular flans, colonial cobs were produced by hand, with gold struck between dies on roughly prepared pieces of metal. Their irregular outlines and compact designs are characteristic of the period, reflecting a production system focused on converting and certifying precious metal rather than achieving modern geometric uniformity.

The coin’s connection to the 1715 Treasure Fleet gives it a remarkable historical dimension. In July 1715, a combined Spanish treasure convoy carrying gold, silver, and other valuable cargo from the Americas departed Havana for Spain. The Spanish Crown urgently needed this wealth following the War of the Spanish Succession, and the fleet carried both royal revenue and privately owned merchandise. On July 30–31, a powerful hurricane struck the convoy along Florida’s Atlantic coast. Eleven of the twelve ships were lost, scattering cargo across the reefs and seabed near present-day Vero Beach and Fort Pierce. Hundreds of lives were lost, and the disaster became one of the most consequential maritime tragedies in the history of Spain’s colonial treasure trade.

The 2015 Douglass Beach Find represents a much later chapter in that story. On June 18, 2015, recovery operations at the 1715 Fleet wreck sites yielded 51 gold coins and approximately 40 feet of ornate gold chain. The discovery attracted international attention, particularly because it occurred during the fleet’s 300th anniversary year. The Douglass Beach wreck site had already produced significant discoveries during earlier salvage operations, including thousands of Spanish colonial gold coins recovered in 1964. The 2015 find therefore was not the initial discovery of the wreck, but a new recovery from a historically productive site that continued to reveal pieces of the lost convoy. NGC’s shipwreck certification preserves the provenance of this coin by identifying its association with that specific recovery.

What distinguishes this specimen is the combination of its 1711 Lima origin, documented 2015 Douglass Beach recovery, and NGC MS 66 grade. The coin survives as a tangible link between the Bourbon monarchy, the colonial gold economy of South America, and the hurricane that scattered Spain’s treasure along the Florida coast. Its journey spans more than three centuries—from the Lima mint, through the maritime world of the Spanish Empire, to the seabed and ultimately into a modern collection. Rather than merely representing the value of its gold, this 2 escudos preserves the history of the empire that struck it and the shipwreck disaster that made it a celebrated survivor.