2 REALES • RECOVERED FROM THE 1622 ATOCHA SHIPWRECK MEL FISHER COA • GRADE TWO • 6.4 g

An authentic silver survivor from the most legendary shipwreck in numismatic history—this Potosí-minted cob 2 reales was recovered from the wreck of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, lost in the catastrophic hurricane of 1622 off the Florida Keys. Few artifacts so directly embody the drama of Spain’s treasure fleets and the perilous gamble of empire.

Struck during the reign of Philip III, this hand-cut, hammer-struck cob displays the unmistakable character of early 17th-century Spanish silver: an irregular flan, bold devices, and the honest wear of circulation before its violent burial at sea. The coin retains clear design elements, including a strong Habsburg shield and legible portions of the cross, with the Potosí mint attribution and assayer T/RAL—active between 1618 and 1623—firmly placing it within the final issues loaded aboard the doomed fleet.

Certified as Grade Two, the piece weighs 6.4 grams, consistent with period production and shipwreck recovery standards. Its surfaces show the expected sea influence, lending the coin an unmistakable treasure patina that collectors prize precisely because it cannot be replicated. This is not a modern relic—it is silver that lay on the ocean floor for more than three centuries.

Accompanied by its original Mel Fisher’s Treasures, LLC Certificate of Authenticity, complete with photographic documentation and recovery data, this coin carries unimpeachable provenance from the discovery that changed treasure hunting forever. The Atocha’s recovery yielded immense wealth—but far rarer still are intact, documented coins like this, preserved with their full historical context.

To hold an Atocha coin is to hold a moment frozen in time: minted in the shadow of the Andes, carried across the Atlantic in the belly of a treasure galleon, lost in a hurricane at the height of Spain’s power, and reclaimed centuries later through one of the greatest archaeological recoveries ever achieved. This 2 reales is not merely collectible—it is history made tangible, a genuine artifact of empire, catastrophe, and rediscovery.x15dhcbcexx