Somewhere in the bottom of the Caribbean Sea – reportedly along the coast of Colombia – lies the shipwreck that has been called ‘the biggest treasure in the history of humanity’, as we first reported here on TGP back in late 2023: The San Jose Galleon, the ‘Biggest Sunken Treasure in History’, Hasn’t Been Salvaged Yet – But It’s Already Causing Dispute in Court.
NEW Hailed as the ‘Holy Grail of shipwrecks’, a wreck off the coast of Colombia has been theorised to be the lost San José Galleon.
The results of a non-invasive study of coins from the wreck are published today in Antiquity, so here’s an #AntiquityThread on the findings 1/13 pic.twitter.com/lNsqvVNTWQ
— ntiquity Journal (@AntiquityJ) June 10, 2025
It’s been more than three centuries after the legendary Spanish galleon San Jose, loaded with treasure, sank off the coast of Colombia.
Now, a new study has uncovered new details about the gold coins found scattered around the shipwreck site.
CBS News reported:
“Dubbed the ‘holy grail’ of shipwrecks, the San Jose galleon was sunk by the British navy near Cartagena in 1708, killing most of the roughly 600 crewmembers on board. The ship was believed to be holding gold, silver, gemstones and other treasure worth billions of dollars.
Now researchers have analyzed intricately designed gold coins found near the wreck, confirming they are indeed from the iconic San Jose. The coins feature depictions of castles, lions and crosses on the front and the ‘Crowned Pillars of Hercules’ above ocean waves on the back, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal Antiquity.”
To determine whether the ship was the San José, the Colombian navy used an unmanned, remotely operated underwater vehicle to survey the wreck non-invasively. 5/13 pic.twitter.com/4DFGn8ufjn
— ntiquity Journal (@AntiquityJ) June 10, 2025
“Researchers, including experts from Colombia’s navy, studied images taken by remotely operated vehicles of dozens of coins that are scattered around the shipwreck nearly 2,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. The study’s authors said the exact number of coins on the seabed is difficult to determine ‘due to the dynamic nature of the site’. But an analysis of high-resolution images from the remotely operated vehicles shows each coin’s average diameter is 32.5 millimeters and weighs roughly 27 grams.”
The researchers identified symbols on the coins’ surfaces that indicate they were minted in AD 1707 in Lima, as well as heraldic symbols of the crowns of Castile and Leon. 9/13 pic.twitter.com/KWqYMrTRPr
— ntiquity Journal (@AntiquityJ) June 10, 2025
“The Colombian government announced last year it would begin extractions from the ship off its Caribbean coast, using multiple remotely operated vehicles. The ship was discovered in 2015, but its exact location has been kept secret to protect the storied wreck from potential treasure hunters.
Since its discovery, multiple parties have laid claim to the shipwreck, including Colombia, Spain and Indigenous Qhara Qhara Bolivians who claim the treasures on board were stolen from them. The wreck has also been claimed by U.S.-based salvage company Sea Search Armada, which says it first discovered the wreck more than 40 years ago.”
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