Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
It came out of the ocean in good condition and closer inspection of the shield fixed to the lion’s breast revealed images of a castle, a dog and a tree, along with “five small decorative elements underneath the dog.” The symbols do not match the crest of the Spanish monarchy at the time the ships sank, which means the lion was likely commissioned for a noble family in Spain, Italy, France or Germany, state historians said. Everything else about the lion is a best guess.
It was created in Central or South America using silver that likely came from Peru, and a seam indicates it was made in two parts and put together, historians say...
The 4-inch-tall figure counts as treasure, having been expertly crafted around 1715 from about half a pound of solid silver. A crest indicates it was the property of royalty or European nobility. However, that is also a mystery, since historians haven’t linked symbols to any family or branch of a monarchy...
The details came to light after the lion went through months of conservation work and closer inspection in a lab.
The object sits well on its own, but has what appears to be a broken loop on the head (See above.).
They don't know of any similar objects ever being found on 1715 wrecks and are trying to figure out what it is.
Here is the link for the rest of the article.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article297345914.html#storylink=cpy
I wonder if it was really put together or made in a mold. That is an important distinction. I also wonder if it is really solid silver. X-rayed?
And here is another link to another article on the same object.
Silver lion from 1715 shipwreck puzzles Florida historians | Miami Herald
That article provides the following photo of the item found by Mike Parna before cleaning and conservation.
And here is the link to that article.
Solid silver lion found on 1715 Florida shipwreck puzzles historians. ‘An odd object’
Thanks to DJ for alerting me to this topic.
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Yesterday I posted information about the current beach renourishment project in Palm Beach.
You can use the following link that will take you to apps that will allow you to track the dredge ship.
DREDGE ILLINOIS Current position (Dredging or UW ops, MMSI 366796250) - VesselFinder
What to know about Hanukkah and how it's celebrated around the world | AP News
Why Candles (Not Oil) for Synagogue Menorah? - Chabad.org
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Remember when the closed beaches and made people go home?
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Looks like we'll have some south winds before long. The high tides are getting much smaller.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net