Gold-laden wreck is Portuguese

[Arizona Coin Collector]

It would be interesting to know what the "best and worst" condition
of the coins. Wonder how deep this shipwreck is?

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FROM:
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2394339,00.html

Gold-laden wreck is Portuguese
16/09/2008 21:30 - (SA)

Windhoek - A mystery shipwreck laden with gold discovered
by geologists off the coast of Namibia in April is a 16th
century Portuguese vessel that was bound for Asia, the
country's information ministry announced on Tuesday.

The ship's rich bounty includes 2 000 gold coins and 1.4
kilograms of silver coins, the ministry said in a statement.

Researchers also found navigational instruments among the
remains of the ship, which was discovered by geologists
prospecting for diamonds.

The shipwreck is believed to be the oldest ever discovered
off the coasts of sub-Saharan Africa.

The vessel has been linked to Portuguese explorer
Bartolomeus Diaz, who was the first European to round the
Cape of Good Hope on the tip of Africa, in his efforts to
establish a sea route from the Atlantic to Asia in 1488.
Diaz went missing in 1500.

Archaeologists and geologists from the US, Portugal,
Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe met in August and
decided to carry out the excavation over a number of weeks
in September, the statement said.

South African-based German archaeologist Dr Bruno Werz
led the team.

Journalists will get a first peek at the ship on Monday.

The geologists made the find in April after clearing a
stretch of seabed at the site and draining it. Besides
the treasure, they also found cannons and elephant tusks
on the seabed. - Sapa-dpa

..

[Jud]

Arizona Coin Collector wrote:
>
> The ship's rich bounty includes 2 000 gold coins and 1.4
> kilograms of silver coins, the ministry said in a statement.

1.4kg of silver is less than 50 ounces. Perhaps a typo?

[sgt23]

Maybe they're getting this info off a graph or pie chart, and mean
hundreds or thousands?