Guaranteed genuine silver 8 real coin dated 1783 which was recovered from the El Cazador shipwreck of 1784, conserved, and presented in a custom London Mint Office presentation case.
This rare presentation case from the London Mint Office uses magnets to seal the coin between acrylic layers for preservation while allowing one to still open the case and review the coin o'natural. These presentations were sold out from the London Mint Office around 2015.
El Cazador is called the shipwreck that changed the world due to it's key role in the events leading up to a young United States having the opportunity to double it's size through the Louisiana purchase. The Spanish eight real coin is considered America's first silver dollar as it was legal tender in the United States. The phrase 'piece of eight' referred to this type of coin. For historical context, the famed pirate Jean Lafitte was born in 1780, three years before this coin was minted.
The London Mint Office is privately owned and is a part of Samlerhuset AS - a Norwegian company based just outside of Oslo who are one of Europe's biggest distributors of commemorative coins and medals and the owner of the Norwegian Mint. The London Mint Office has been chosen as the official numismatic partner to some of Britain’s leading organisations such as Waterloo 200 and The Merchant Navy Association. Samlerhuset AS is a partner in the annual World Money Fair in Berlin and has bases in 15 European countries.
Case Dimension: Length 5 and 3/4 inches, Width 5 and 3/4 inches, Height 3/8 inches
Display Box Dimensions: Length 7 and 1/2 inches, Width 7 and 3/4 inches, Height 1 and 3/8 inches