Association Shipwreck Clump of two 8 Reales Cobs

Description

This clump two 8 real cobs is a great piece of history. One side of one coin has been cleaned revealing a
Charles II Lima assayer R coin. The rest of the clump has been left encrusted.  This coin is ex. Sedwick with a certificate from
The Association
was sunk in 1707 off the Scilly Isles, of
England
The sinking of this ship and four others
in a fleet of 21
returning from the Mediterranean was one of the worst British naval
disasters of all time. The
Association
sank on October 22 under stormy
conditions after what can only be described as guesswork navigation
that led the ships straight onto the rocks of the Scilly Isles, where as
many as 2,000 sailors lost their lives as a result. The admiral of the
fleet, Sir Cloudisley Shovell, whose ten chests of personal wealth (in
addition to several others) were rumored to be aboard the
Association
,
was one of the casualties of the sinking, although legend has it he
reached shore alive, only to be murdered there by a local woman for
a ring on his finger.
The wrecksite was located in 1967 by British Navy divers,
touching off a frenzy of activity on the site for years to come. Cannons
and a few coins were raised in the 1960s, but it was not till 1973 that
a significant amount of coins were found (8,000 in that year alone).
These coins, mostly British silver and gold but also many Spanish
and Spanish-American silver cobs, were sold at auction beginning
in 1969 and into the early 1970s. The cobs presented an eclectic mix,
mostly 8 reales from the 1650s forward (even a “Royal” presentation
issue from 1676), but from nearly all mints (especially Lima and
Potosí), some even left in as-found conglomerate form combined
with British coins.
Thanks,
Peter Scherff
ANA Life Member 4085