Spanish portrait style silver eight reales minted 1781 in Mexico City, Mexico during the reign of Carlos III
Obverse: Draped bust of Carolus III, legend surrounding, date below.
Reverse: Crowned arms of the House of Bourbon, sided by the Pillars of Hercules; Assayer initials and legend surrounding.
Set into a sterling silver bezel pendant with 18k yellow gold prongs and bail.
The El Cazador Shipwreck
In 1783, the Mexico City mint struck silver pieces of eight bearing the likeness of King Carolus III. Virtually the entire mintage of the year, as well as earlier minted coins, were loaded onto the El Cazador to be transported to New Orleans. On January 11, 1784, the ship was caught in a hurricane and sank in the Gulf of Mexico. The money was intended to solidify Spain’s holdings of what was then called the Louisiana Territory, but with the loss of the El Cazador it was transferred to the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and led to the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.
On August 2, 1993, Captain Jerry Murphy of the butterfish trawler named the Mistake caught one of their nets on what they thought was a snag on the ocean floor. Raising the net to inspect it for damage, a shower of Spanish silver cascaded to the deck, alerting him to what turned out to be one of the most historically significant shipwreck finds in history
For purchase or inquiries, please call us at (504) 522-3305 and let us know you are interested in # 0080325043 E-6281 E-261,290