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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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300-year-old sunken treasure found off Florida
7/31/2014 1:32:09 AM

Family finds 300-year-old sunken treasure off Florida's east coast

Reuters

A high karat gold Pyx which was believed to have been hand crafted in the late 1600's - early 1700's for transporting a Eucharist (communion wafer) is seen in an undated handout photo from 1715 Fleet-Queen's Jewels. A Florida family of treasure hunters on Tuesday will display their latest finding from a 300-year-old shipwreck: the missing piece of an ornate gold holder used by clergy to hold the Eucharist for visits to the sick or infirm. (REUTERS/1715 Fleet-Queen's Jewels, LLC)


By Barbara Liston

ORLANDO Fla. (Reuters) - A Florida family scavenging for sunken treasure on a shipwreck has found the missing piece of a 300-year-old gold filigree necklace sacred to Spanish priests, officials said on Tuesday.

Eric Schmitt, a professional salvager, was scavenging with his parents when he found the crumpled, square-shaped ornament on a leisure trip to hunt for artifacts in the wreckage of a convoy of 11 ships that sank in 1715 during a hurricane off central Florida's east coast.

After the discovery last month, a team of Spanish historians realized the piece fit together with another artifact recovered 25 years ago. It formed an accessory called a pyx, worn on a chain around a high priest’s neck to carry the communion host. The dollar value is uncertain.

"It's priceless, unique, one of a kind," said Brent Brisben, operations manager for Queens Jewels, which owns rights to the wreckage, located in 15-foot (4.5-meter) deep Atlantic Ocean waters.

Schmitt, who lives near Orlando, last year discovered about $300,000 worth of gold coins and chains from the same wreckage, Brisben said. Schmitt's parents have hunted for sunken treasure as a hobby for a decade.

By law, the treasure will be placed into the custody of the U.S. District Court in South Florida, Brisben said. The state of Florida may take possession of up to 20 percent of the find. The rest will be split evenly between Brisben's company and the Schmitt family.

(Editing by Letitia Stein and Sandra Maler)



300-year-old sunken treasure found off Florida



A family discovers the missing piece of a gold necklace sacred to Spanish priests, officials say.
'Priceless, unique, one of a kind'


"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: 300-year-old sunken treasure found off Florida
7/31/2014 1:36:48 AM


300-year-old sunken treasure found off Florida (cont.)



A high karat gold Pyx which was believed to have been hand crafted in the late 1600's - early 1700's for transporting a Eucharist (communion wafer) is seen in an undated handout photo from 1715 Fleet-Queen's Jewels. A Florida family of treasure hunters on Tuesday will display their latest finding from a 300-year-old shipwreck: the missing piece of an ornate gold holder used by clergy to hold the Eucharist for visits to the sick or infirm. (REUTERS/1715 Fleet-Queen's Jewels, LLC)



"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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Joyce Parker Hyde

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RE: 300-year-old sunken treasure found off Florida
7/31/2014 7:16:40 PM
Of course it is beautiful......... but I always have a visceral reaction to this kind of thing.


After the discovery last month, a team of Spanish historians realized the piece fit together with another artifact recovered 25 years ago. It formed an accessory called a pyx, worn on a chain around a high priest’s neck to carry the communion host. The dollar value is uncertain.

My mind always goes to the most likely poor artisans who made it and the people being ministered to while this "object d'art" is dangling off the neck of the holy guy.
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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: 300-year-old sunken treasure found off Florida
7/31/2014 11:27:17 PM

I am afraid you are right on that particular, Joyce; I am afraid I did not think of it. As usual, I was caught up by appearances and did not give any thought to any other aspect. There is a possibility, though, that it was made by a newly converted native artisan, an artist actually, like those in my country who worked wonders with gold at the time. They apparently embraced Christianity with enthusiasm and if so, he (they?) most probably would have done it freely.


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Joyce Parker Hyde

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RE: 300-year-old sunken treasure found off Florida
8/1/2014 1:53:00 AM
That could well be true Luis, it's just the way my mind works:) When I look at pictures, the movie reel goes off in there and people start to pop up. What they are doing, where their kids are, are they happy or oppressed-mostly nothing to do with the actual thing being presented.
Whatever their economic condition-the point is that their skills and the beautiful work they did has survived for centuries-and that is important. Without the patrons the work would not exist, so it is bittersweet.
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