The Planchet
A Publication of theIndianapolis Coin Club
July 2010 Issue 515

The next meeting will be Monday,
July 26th 2010
The Meetings of the Indianapolis Coin Club are held
the fourth Monday of each month at theNorthside Knights of Columbus
2100 E. 71st Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Meetings consist of a business session, an intermission, educational program,and a numismatic auction. Doors open at 6:00pm, meeting will begin at 7:00pm.

2010 Meeting Dates:
July 26th
Aug. 23rd
Sept. 27th
Oct. 25th
Nov. 22nd
December Banquet

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COINS

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Collecting U.S. Coins Since 1952

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DOUBLE D. KOINSDONALD D. KING SR.
MemberThe 2009 Indianapolis Coin Club
Officers and Board Members
President
Jim Roehrdanz
Vice-President
Donn Wray
Secretary
Vinton Dove
Treasurer
Don King
EditorMatt Dinger
Past President
Matt Dinger
Sgt-at-Arms
Jim Warden
Board Member 2009-2010 Dave Reid
Board Member 2009-2010 Bob Bettcher
Board Member 2009-2010 Mark Eberhardt
Board Member 2010-2011 Jim Fuson
Board Member 2010-2011 Marty Moore
Board Member 2010-2011 Michael White$35.00 for a business card size
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The Monthly Planchet is the official publication of the Indianapolis
Coin Club. It is published monthly in Indianapolis, Indiana. All
inquiries should be sent to ICC, P.O. Box 2897, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46206.

Introduction to Shipwreck Treasure Coinsby Augi Garcia
For most people the word shipwreck represents the old sunken Spanish galleons, dismasted and rudderless in hurricane seas... panicked crew helpless and praying as the ship is driven onto a reef that rips open thefragile hull and sends her chests of gold and silver to the bottom. Indeed many Spanish galleons returning toEurope from the Americas met this tragic fate. By some estimates a third of Spain’s treasure ships never made it
home. A lot of treasure is still waiting to be recovered!
Spanish galleons were not the only treasure ships plying the cruel seas. The Dutch, the English, theFrench and the Portuguese all sailed treasure ships to and from the New World and the Orient, and all sufferedhorrific losses in the process. The long voyage from Europe to the Orient in particular was as important to theEuropean economies as the Spanish-Caribbean connection. Many Dutch and English treasure ships perished onthat route.
Between 1492 and the early 19th century Spain extracted billions and billions of dollars worth of gold,
silver, precious gems and other treasures from the Caribbean, Mexican and South American colonies. Treasureand other trade goods were loaded at the new Spanish ports in Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Mexico,Peru and the Philippines, then shipped to Spain in large armed Fleet of Galleons.
The Spanish Colonial Mints at Potosi, Lima, Cartagena, Cuzco and Mexico City labored day and night
to produce the irregularly shaped gold and silver coins commonly referred to as macuquinas (crude hammeredcoins) or “Cobs'" this world is the simplification of the Spanish phrase, "Cabo de Barra", that means "the end ofa bar" this pieces were sliced off silver bars from the Spanish Colonies, trimmed to weight and then struck between crude dies, thus No two cobs are ever exactly alike! that is what makes these "macuquinas" unique andreally interesting to collect.. Ironically, the Spanish Crown put its Colonial mints to the trouble of striking coins
only to have much of the coinage shipped to Spain and immediately remelted and restruck as Spanish coins"Ship Money". The point of coining the silver and gold in the New World was to better monitor and control its
shipment. Some of the gold and silver coins were of course retained in the New World to serve the function of a
local coinage.
Gold and silver cobs were hand-struck on unshaped blanks using locally produced dies, then trimmed
to approximately the proper weight. Cobs were minted from the early 1500’s until the mid -18th century, whenthe mechanical press finally introduced modern milled coinage to the Spanish colonial mints. The Milled Coinera began first in Mexico in 1732, then about twenty years later in Colombia and forty years later in El Peru.
Cobs (and the subsequent milled coins) were minted in gold denominations of 8, 4, 2, and 1 and 1/2
Escudos (Doubloons), and in silver denominations of 8, 4, 2, 1, ½ and ¼ Reales (Pieces of Eight). Copper coins
were also occasionally struck in denominations of 4, 3, 2, and 1 Maravedis.
By a royal statute first promulgated in the reign of Carlos I, the official weights of the silver Reales were as follows:* 8 Reales (cob) = 27.3 grams [0.96 ounces] (also known as Pieces of Eight)* 4 Reales (cob) = 13.65 grams [0.48 ounces]* 2 Reales (cob) = 6.825 grams [0.24 ounces]* 1 Real (cob) = 3.4125 grams [0.12 ounces]* 1/2 Real (cob) = 1.70625 grams [0.06 ounces]* 1/4 Real (cob) = 0.853125 grams [0.03 ounces] (also known as Cuartillos)(I did not include diameter because it may vary depending on the mint, year and assayer.)
The production of silver cobs from irregularly cut blanks of silver (planchets) meant these ideals
weight were rarely achieved. Cobs were often up to 3-4% underweight, and occasionally overweight. With theintroduction of milled silver coins—first Pillars, then the Bust series—weights became much standardized.
Keep in mind that when we are talking about "Treasure Coins" a notorious underweight is very common due tothe corrosion originated by salty water and erosion created by being 300-400 years at the bottom of the sea.

Both cobs and milled coinage are found on Spanish Treasure wrecks, depending on date the ship was lost. Here is a list of some of the most famous Spanish (and Dutch) shipwrecks, and a brief indication of the type of coinage recovered from the wreck:* The “Golden Fleece” wreck, a Spanish ship lost in Caribbean in 1550's, carried gold and silver bullion, plus early Mexican silver cobs fromthe reign of Carlos & Johanna (Juana).
* The Nuestra Señora de Atocha, a galleon of the 1622 Fleet lost in Florida Keys, carried large quantities of silver bullion and silver cobs.
* The Santa Margarita, another 1622 ship lost in the same storm, carried the same cargo of silver cobs and bullion.
* The Nuestra Señora De La Concepcion, lost off the isle of Hispaniola, Dominican Republic in 1641, carried substantial amounts of silver
cobs.
* The Jesus Maria de La Limpia Concepcion "La Capitana,” a Spanish galleon wrecked off Chanduy, Ecuador in 1654, carried silver cobs ofboth the old Shield and new Pillars design (also transitional and countermarked pieces).
* The Nuestra Señora de Las Maravillas, a Spanish galleon sunk off Grand Bahamas Island in the Caribbean in 1656, carried Colombiangold cobs and both old and new style silver cobs.
* The Santa Maria de La Consolacion “Pirate related Ship,” A Spanish galleon lost off Santa Clara Island, Ecuador in 1681, carried silver
cobs.
* The 1715 Fleet, eleven Spanish ships lost together in a hurricane along the East Coast of Florida in July of 1715, carried large numbers ofgold and silver cobs.
* The 1733 Fleet, twenty-two Spanish ships, most of which were lost in a hurricane in the Florida Keys, carried silver cobs.
* The Dutch merchantman Rooswijk, lost in 1739 on the Goodwin Sands, England, carried silver bullion, cobs, klippes and early pillar dollars.
* The Spanish ship El Cazador, sunk off the Louisiana coast of the US in 1784, carried Bust-type milled Spanish silver.
* The Princess Louisa, lost off Cape Verde, South Africa in 1743, carried silver cobs.
* The VOC merchantman Hollandia, lost off the Isles of Sicily in 1743, carried silver pillars dollars and a few silver cobs.
* The Nuestra Señora de la Luz, lost in Montevideo harbor, Uruguay in 1752, carried gold and silver cobs.
We may summarize the common types of Spanish coins recovered from shipwrecks as follows:
Macuquinas or cob coins:* Carlos y Juana Type (1536-1572)* Old Type Crude Shield and Cross (1572-1652)* New Type Pillars and Waves (1652-1773)
Milled coins:* Pillar Type (1732-1770)* Bust type (1772-1825)

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June 28, 2010 - Minutes of the Indianapolis Coin Club Meeting.
Open - The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by the Club President, Jim Roehrdanz.
32 of the people present signed the attendance book. We met at the Northside Knights ofstColumbus Hall, 2100 East 71 Street.
The Treasurer’s report and the Secretary’s report were read and accepted.
Visitors –None.
Old Business – Secretary, Vinton Dove, reported that he found what he believed to be a
1909-VDB cent in Matte Proof condition. He bought it in a slab marked MS-66. The slab
was from a grading company no one had heard of, and when he “broke it out” the coin’s
proof attributes became visible.
New Business – None. (Note, Larry Hertzman is our newest member.)
The Educational Program – Club Vice President, Donn Wray, was the speaker for theevening. This was Donn’s second program in two months. (Hooray for Donn!!) His topic
was “Old Proof Coins,” and he displayed several of the 19 th and early 20th Century proof
coins, all of which were slabbed. The display included a Matte Proof Lincoln Cent, a “V”
Nickel, a Buffalo Nickel, a Barber dime, Seated Liberty coins, a few 1936 proof coins, andothers. He described how the mint priced, packaged and sold proofs in the “early days.”
Former President, Mark Eberhardt, and others contributed to the program by adding theirknowledge and experiences.
After the break, the 50/50 Drawing was run by Club Treasurer, Don King, and Secretary,Vinton Dove won the drawing. He claimed that it was the second time since 1973 that hehad won.
Auction – The Club’s monthly auction was conducted by Mark Eberhardt as auctioneer,with Ron Jackson, Bob Bettcher, Vinton Dove and Dave Reid assisting. 18 sheets of up tofive lots each were included and most of the lots sold.
The club adjourned at 8:43 PM.
Respectfully submitted, Vinton Dove, Secretary