Family Strikes Gold on Sunken Treasure Hunt -- Again

ABC News ^ | Jul 30, 2014

[nickcarraway]

A Florida man literally struck gold when he unearthed a "priceless" religious artifact from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

The sunken treasure was discovered at the site of a shipwreck that happened nearly 300 years ago off the coast of Ft. Pierce. It's the missing piece of a necklace that was discovered at the same wreck in 1989.

Called a pyx, the ornate gold trinket is a Spanish artifact used by priests to hold the communion host, Brent Brisben, the operations manager of Queens Jewels, told ABC News.

"We find shipwrecked artifacts on a daily basis, but it's more like ship spikes and musket balls, so when you get an extremely rare, unique piece like this, it's exciting," Brisben said.

He said 27-year-old Eric Schmitt, a professional salvager in Florida, found the piece last month on a scavenging hunt with his family. Last year, he had dug up more than $300,000 worth of gold chains and coins from the same wreckage.

[nickcarraway]

[nickcarraway]

Ping

[lastchance]

There is a reason this area is known as the “Treasure Coast.”

[njslim]

1715 treasure fleet - its the same series of wrecks that Mel Fisher found 50 years ago

[Romulus]

A pyx is not a “trinket”.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks nickcarraway.

[TMSuchman]

And both the us & spanish gov.’t’s will come in & claim everything & leave nothing for those looking & recovered the treasure.

[Bigg Red]

Thank you. I was thinking the same thing.

And I am also trying to figure out how it would be part of a necklace, as the article states it is.

[Foundahardheadedwoman]

Why is it that people have such a problem keeping their mouth shut? Should have never gone public or just given it to the Catholic Church, it was meant for them anyway.

It is worth more than its weight in gold and museums would have lined up to purchase it. As FR constantly tells me, “Loose lips sink ships.”