Accession Number

1989.005.0001

Alternate object names

Coin

Description

Almost all the gold coins from the 1622 fleet were minted in Spain, as permission had not yet been granted to American mints to strike them. This example is a small, thick, 2-escudo coin likely minted in Seville. The planchet has an uneven surface, and the impression of the die did not apply evenly; the mint and assayer marks were not stamped on this coin, and the Hapsburg shield is incomplete. The piece was clipped along the edges to bring it to the proper weight for the denomination, and that clipping further removed portions of the legend. On the obverse, only the letters “LIPP” of Philippus (King Philip) can be seen. On the reverse, the “PAN” of Hispaniarum (Spain) is all that survives of the legend. The reverse bears most of a cross potent surrounded by a tressure and floral elements, design motifs typical of the Seville mint.

Exhibition Label

Case Caption (2023):

Personal Adornments

In this time period, it was fashionable for European men to wear almost as much jewelry as women. However, Spaniards had so much personal wealth that showing it off came to be considered arrogant and a lack of humility before God. The king enacted sumptuary laws, limiting men’s jewelry to a single chain. These could be both large and ornate, and it was also possible to wear an extra chain to hold a religious medal or a badge of rank.

The gold whistle shown here would not have been loud enough to be heard at sea but might have been worn by the boatswain aboard the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, Mateo Martin, denoting the importance of the duties he oversaw at sea.

These coins would have been the possessions of some of the wealthier travelers, rather than cargo. No mint was allowed to make gold coins until an extensive gold deposit was found in Colombia, at Santa Fe de Bogota. Three sample coins from that mint, dated 1622, were found on the wreck of Nuestra Señora de Atocha, but all other gold coins on the wreck were minted in Spain. It was not until Lima was chartered in 1675 and Mexico in 1679 that minting gold coins went into full production.
Object Caption (2023):

Coins (Escudos)
Gold (c.1620)
Gift of Jamestown Inc., Leon W. Noel, Mel & Dolores Fisher, Marjorie Priestly, Richard Bulman
1986.008.0040, 1985.006.0006, 1989.005.0001, 2018.005.0001