By David Thomason Alexander
PROTECTING COINS FROM DANGER ON THE HIGH SEAS
SS CENTRAL AMERICA PHOTOS COURTESY DONN PEARLMAN.
To those seriously interested in the history of world coins, it must seem that Mother Nature has worked for the destruction of coins as long as they have been in use. Both war and merchant ships went to the bottom of the Mediterranean since ancient times, their sites littered with wine jugs, statuary in shipment, and all the other detritus of commerce of the ancient world.
Such ancient sites have yielded coins, to be sure, but the historical mother lode of numismatic marine treasures has always been the western hemisphere. Christopher Columbus was told by the hospitable Arawak Indians of the Bahamas he met on his first voyages of the roaring, ravening god of violent winds called Hurakan, then met this phenomenon at point blank range as the first hurricane recorded by Europeans ravaged his small fleet.
In 1492, The Roman Catholic Church was still the dominant religious force in Europe, presided over by Pope Alexander VI of the Spanish branch of the house or Borja. After the first Spanish explorations in the West Indies and Central America came Portuguese mariners who claimed the vast domain of Brazil.
To avoid strife, the pope decreed the Line of Demarcation on May 4, 1493, at 100 leagues west of Cape Verde. Territories west of the line were awarded to Spain, those east to Portugal. After the division of Christianity after 1517, this papal division was ignored by French and English explorers and rulers.
READ MORE
Purchase options below
Find the complete article and many more in this issue of
COINage Magazine
-
November 2018
If you own the issue,
Login to read the full article now.
Single Digital Issue November 2018
|
|
|
£4.99
|
|
|
This issue and other back issues are not included in a new COINage Magazine subscription. Subscriptions include the latest regular issue and new issues released during your subscription.
6 Month Digital Subscription
Only £
2.16 per issue
|
SAVE
57%
|
|
£12.99
|
|
|
Annual Digital Subscription
Only £
2.42 per issue
|
SAVE
52%
|
|
£28.99
|
|
|
Monthly Digital Subscription
Only £
3.99 per issue
|
SAVE
20%
|
|
£3.99
|
|
|
About COINage Magazine
CoinAGE November 2018,
Special Edition: Protecting Coins from Danger,
Wind, Water & Coins,
And More......