Rare chalice from 1622 shipwreck found off Keys
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:19 pm
Rare chalice from 1622 shipwreck found off Keys
This ornate gold chalice with etched scrollwork was found by divers searching for the Spanish galleon Santa Margarita.
A rare gold chalice from a Spanish fleet that sank in 1622 was unearthed Tuesday morning by a treasure diver who couldn't believe his find.
''Oh, my God,'' diver Michael DeMar said, describing his discovery of the chalice on the site where the Spanish galleon Santa Margarita is believed to have gone down during a vicious storm.
Dented on a few sides and encrusted with marine growth, the chalice weighs more than a pound is etched with scrollwork and boasts decorative handles.
The wreck was from a Spanish fleet that sank during a Sept. 6, 1622, hurricane. Over the past quarter century, it has yielded the biggest treasure find in U.S. history.
Exploring it became the singular obsession of treasure hunter Mel Fisher, now dead, and his team of divers.
Fisher opened a Key West museum to showcase salvaged items.
The chalice was taken Wednesday to the museum, where Don Kincaid, board member and photographer, was enthralled.
'''The inevitable question is how much is it worth -- well, it's priceless,'' Kincaid said. ``How much you got?''
Kincaid should know. He has found salvage treasure and photographed it for decades in the Florida Keys.
The ornate two-handled chalice stands on a gold base. It was located by DeMar, a Blue Water Ventures diver, beneath about a foot of sand in 18 feet of water approximately 30 miles west of Key West.
Fisher began the search for artifacts from the Santa Margarita more than a quarter-century ago.
Experts hope cleaning the chalice will reveal more details of a crest etched inside the bottom of the piece.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
___________________________________
That like winning the lotto!!!
This ornate gold chalice with etched scrollwork was found by divers searching for the Spanish galleon Santa Margarita.
A rare gold chalice from a Spanish fleet that sank in 1622 was unearthed Tuesday morning by a treasure diver who couldn't believe his find.
''Oh, my God,'' diver Michael DeMar said, describing his discovery of the chalice on the site where the Spanish galleon Santa Margarita is believed to have gone down during a vicious storm.
Dented on a few sides and encrusted with marine growth, the chalice weighs more than a pound is etched with scrollwork and boasts decorative handles.
The wreck was from a Spanish fleet that sank during a Sept. 6, 1622, hurricane. Over the past quarter century, it has yielded the biggest treasure find in U.S. history.
Exploring it became the singular obsession of treasure hunter Mel Fisher, now dead, and his team of divers.
Fisher opened a Key West museum to showcase salvaged items.
The chalice was taken Wednesday to the museum, where Don Kincaid, board member and photographer, was enthralled.
'''The inevitable question is how much is it worth -- well, it's priceless,'' Kincaid said. ``How much you got?''
Kincaid should know. He has found salvage treasure and photographed it for decades in the Florida Keys.
The ornate two-handled chalice stands on a gold base. It was located by DeMar, a Blue Water Ventures diver, beneath about a foot of sand in 18 feet of water approximately 30 miles west of Key West.
Fisher began the search for artifacts from the Santa Margarita more than a quarter-century ago.
Experts hope cleaning the chalice will reveal more details of a crest etched inside the bottom of the piece.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
___________________________________
That like winning the lotto!!!