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What was the São José?
The São José was a “carrack,” an immense
sailing vessel distinguished by its huge
stern castle towering high above the sea.
Armed with brass cannon, it was typical of
Portuguese ships sailing to the Far East,
transporting ballast, passengers and the
annual consignment of money to support trade
with the East and Portuguese outposts along
the trade routes. The São José carried an
impressive cargo, the legendary silver
treasure of Philip III, King of Spain and
Portugal, handed over to Francisco da Gama
on his way to India. The shipment included
nine chests filled with thousands of silver
reales coins produced in both the Old and
New World mints of Mexico, Bolivia and
Spain.
What is the São José’s history?
The São José was lost in 1622 off the coast
of Mozambique after being attacked by
English and Dutch defense ships while on a
mission to deliver Francisco da Gama, great
grandson of legendary Portuguese explorer
Vasco da Gama, to reign as the Viceroy of
India. On board, it carried a royal treasure
of the Portuguese Empire to support trade
with the East and Portuguese Empire to
support trade with the East and Portuguese
outposts on the trade route.
Who discovered the São José?
After extensive historical research in
British, Dutch and Portuguese archives
followed by a large area magnetometer survey
in 2003 and 2004, Arqueonautas Worldwide –
Arqueologia Subaquática SA (AWW), in
partnership with its Mozambican counterpart
Património Internacional SARL began with the
excavation and recovery of the São José in
April 2005 off the coast of Mozambique.
An Arqueonautas team of 27 specialists,
including trained divers, archaeologists,
conservation experts and specialized back-up
personnel, has excavated the remains of the
São José under the supervision of the Cuban
marine archaeologist Alejandro Mirabal.
What has been recovered from the São
José so far?
The items discovered and recovered to date
include four large bronze cannon and a
quantity of rare silver coins.
What makes the coins special?
Based on their remarkable story linking the
New World and the Portuguese maritime trade
routes, the São José coins are composed of a
unique assortment of Old and New World
mints. Rated as extremely rare, never before
available to collectors for private
ownership (by Daniel Sedwick, Author of The
Practical Book of Cobs), of the 24,000 coins
recovered, fewer than 7,200 are collectibles
in excellent condition, provenance-certified
and graded by NGC.
Was the recovery conducted in an
archaeologically sensitive manner?
On any project, Arqueonautas works to
established methodologies, highest
scientific and archaeological standards and
in strict accordance with the license
agreement established in 1999 with the
Government of Mozambique and Património
Internacional, which has been recently
prolonged through 2010.
The results achieved and the papers
published as a result of the work done will
contribute to enhance the scientific
knowledge about maritime trade and naval
technology in the seventeenth century.
Are the artifacts undergoing
appropriate conservation?
Conservation work is being carried out at
the “Centro de Conservação Marítima” set up
on the Isle of Mozambique by Arqueonautas
and Património Internacional SARL and is
being carried out following the best
available standards.
How are Odyssey and Arqueonautas
linked?
Following the successful recovery of the São
José coins, and being aware of Odyssey’s
extensive expertise in coin marketing,
Arqueonautas offered Odyssey the exclusive
right to market the coins through its
distributors. After determining that the
coins had been recovered and conserved in
the archaeologically sensitive manner that
Odyssey’s philosophy is based on, Odyssey
agreed to collaborate with Arqueonautas on
this project and is proud to present this
unique, rare, and historic collection to the
public for the first time.
About Odyssey Marine Exploration,
Inc.
Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. (NasdaqCM:
OMEX) is engaged in the exploration of
deep-ocean shipwrecks and uses innovative
methods and state-of-the-art technology to
conduct extensive search and archaeological
recovery operations around the world.
Odyssey discovered the Civil War era
shipwreck of the SS Republic® in 2003 and
recovered over 50,000 coins and 14,000
artifacts from the site nearly 1,700 feet
deep. In May 2007, the Company announced the
historic deep-ocean treasure recovery of
over 500,000 silver and gold coins, weighing
17 tons, from a Colonial era site code-named
"Black Swan." Odyssey has several shipwreck
projects in various stages of development
around the world.
About Arqueonautas Worldwide
Arqueonautas Worldwide S.A. (AWW)
was founded to recover cargoes from
historical shipwrecks conducting operations
scientifically in an economically viable
manner. Registered (ISIN: PTAQW0AE0005) in
1995 in Portugal, AWW is today the leading
commercial marine archaeological company for
shallow-water operations. AWW has discovered
to date over 150 wreck sites in Africa and
Asia. The 14 historical shipwrecks so far
excavated, with approximately 100,000 coins
and over 10,000 artefacts recovered, are
documented resulting in scientific
publications. AWW is presently conducting
survey and recovery operations under
exclusive government licenses in Mozambique
and Indonesia and is pursuing additional
agreements in the Americas and Asia. AWW’s
mission is to protect the world’s maritime
heritage and advance learning through marine
archaeological survey and excavation.
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