“One day when I was out with my family I found $300,000 worth of coins and gold, and then I found more.” A Florida man who comes from a family of treasure hunters unearthed a rare and “priceless” artifact while diving for treasure at a shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean, after previously finding troves of ancient coins.
A diver’s fateful excursion with his family produced a timeless and “priceless” religious artifact and mounds of gold, buried in the rubble of an ancient shipwreck off the coast of Florida.
Eric Schmitt is a professional salvager and has dedicated his life to exploring the depths and exploring shipwrecks and other historical sites in search of knowledge and treasure that he can sell for a profit.
On a particularly eventful outing in 2014, he stumbled upon a pendant, called a pyx, a trinket used by priests of yesteryear when celebrating communion, ABC News reported. Made of pure gold, the artifact is invaluable.
During an excursion, Eric Schmitt found a large quantity of coins at the shipwreck site.
It was the missing piece of a previously salvaged necklace that was recovered from the same shipwreck in 1989, according to Queen’s Jewels operations manager Brent Brisben, who previously worked with Schmitt and her family.
Brisben owns the rights to the wreck, which is located off the coast of Fort Pierce, Florida, about 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) north of West Palm Beach. The historic ship sank during a particularly nasty hurricane in 1715.
The ship is constantly being explored and divers salvage what they can almost every day, Brisben said. But excursions rarely unearth very valuable artifacts, he said, making the 2014 discovery even more special.
Finding rare artifacts in shipwrecks is not common, which makes it special when it happens, Brisben said.
“We find artifacts from shipwrecks every day, but they look more like ship spikes and musket balls, so when you get an extremely rare and unique piece like this, it’s exciting,” he said at the time of the discovery of Schmitt’s pendant. .
Schmitt himself has found multiple rare finds, including a haul of coins worth around $300,000 while with his family in 2013. He owns the company Booty Salvage, and he and his family are avid treasure hunters.
To reach the wreck site, Schmitt and his family had to venture out on their 44-foot (13.4 m) twin-engine fishing boat called Aarrr Booty, something they do frequently.
Schmitt and his family have also found numerous artifacts over the years, including the pendant and a large number of other coins.
“It’s an incredibly difficult job,” Brisben told ABC News. “It’s long, we’re in the middle of summer, it’s hot. You are in the sun all day. “It’s quite laborious work, so when you come across an artifact as amazing as that, words can’t describe it.”
But far more valuable than the prices associated with the finds has been the knowledge and history associated with each object. He said it is “a surreal experience” to touch something that is 300 years old, learn about it and then share it with the world.
An official price has not been set for the piece, but Brisben previously said he believes it is priceless. He is in the custody of the United States District Court in South Florida by law, as the state can take possession of up to 20% of Brisben’s assets. Profits from the rest are split between his company and the Schmitt family, ABC News reported.
Just the following year, in 2015, Schmitt and his family discovered 52 additional gold coins worth more than $1 million from the same remains. And at age 14 he found an “incredible” silver tray, Brisben said. Treasure hunting and success in trinket-hunting seem to run in the Schmitt family lineage.
