NGC Certified Genuine Spanish Colonial 8 Reales Piece El Cazador

This is a Colonial Spanish 8 Reales Piece, recovered from the historic El Cazador shipwreck. NGC Certified, this coin is a real piece of history. On October 20, 1783, Carolus III, the Bourbon King of Spain, dispatched his “Brig of War,” the El Cazador, to Vera Cruz, Mexico where she would be loaded with nearly 450,000 Silver pesos (almost 14 tons) and return to New Orleans. Spanish paper money was failing in the colonies, so the silver coins were being brought with the intention to help stabilize the colony's economy. On January 11, 1784, El Cazador sailed for New Orleans and vessel, crew and fortune disappeared into the winter sea, sinking without a trace.  It was discovered many years later that they made it within 50 miles of its destination when it was lost in 300 feet of water. El Cazador became known as “The Shipwreck that leads to the Louisiana Purchase”.  NGC Cert#: 2056926-049