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title: Treasure Hunters Find Over $1M Worth of Shipwrecked Spanish Gold
description: The haul comes from the 300-year-old wreck of the &#x27;Capitana,&#x27; off the Florida coast
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# Treasure Hunters Find Over $1 Million Worth of Shipwrecked Spanish Gold off the Florida Coast

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by 

[Joanna Plucinska](https://time.com/author/joanna-plucinska/)


## Joanna Plucinska


Jul 28, 2015 4:18 AM UTC

by 

[Joanna Plucinska](https://time.com/author/joanna-plucinska/)


## Joanna Plucinska


Jul 28, 2015 4:18 AM UTC

A Florida family of professional treasure hunters has struck gold after discovering over $1 million worth of coins and jewelry in a huge Spanish shipwreck from the 18th century, _Florida Today_ reports.

The Schmitt family, who are subcontractors for treasure hunting company 1715 Fleet–Queens Jewels LLC, discovered the treasure off the Florida Coast in the wreck of the _Capitana_, the flagship of a Spanish treasure fleet.

The haul includes 51 gold coins, 40 ft. of ornate gold chain and a Tricentennial Royal, an extremely rare Spanish coin valued at over $500,000, _Florida Today_ says.

This is not the first time that gold has been found in this famous shipwreck. Captained by Don Juan Esteban de Ubilla, the _Capitana_ carried an enormous fortune in Spanish jewels when it sunk in a hurricane in July 1715, according to _Florida Today_, and has been the subject of books, documentaries and blog posts.

The Schmitts are seasoned treasure hunters, _Florida Today_ adds, having first found gold in September 2013\. They came across the _Capitana_ haul last month, but the news of their discovery was withheld to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the shipwreck.

\[[_Florida Today_](http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2015/07/27/family-finds-sunken-spanish-treasure/30744269/)\]

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