Last updated: April 9, 2023
Article
Using 3D Replicas to Study Spanish Coins From La Galga and Juno Shipwrecks
La Galga left Havana, Cuba, on August 18, 1750, to escort a convoy of merchant ships to Spain. Six days later, a hurricane scattered the ships, forcing them toward the American coast. When La Galga wrecked near the Maryland-Virginia border, most of the crew and passengers made it safely to shore. Local residents began to loot the wrecked ship which, subsequently, was destroyed by a second storm.
The Juno left the port of Veracruz, Mexico, on January 15, 1802 for Cadiz, Spain. Shortly after departure, the Juno and an escort ship, the Anfitrite, encountered bad weather and sailed to Puerto Rico for repairs. The two ships set sail again on October 1, after having taken the soldiers of the Spanish Third Battalion of the African Regiment, their families, and civilian officials on board. Near Bermuda, the ships were separated during a storm and the Juno began to leak. The Juno continued north, but was not able to contain the leak. The American schooner, La Favorita, came to Juno’s aid, and began taking on Juno’s passengers and crew. However, only seven people were able to transfer to La Favorita before the Juno and at least 413 people were lost in the fog and heavy seas.
The Spanish government never declared La Galga or Juno to be abandoned. Thus, even though the shipwrecks lay in U.S. waters off the coast of Assateague Island, they did not belong to or fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. government. After the shipwrecks were located in 1997, the Spanish government took ownership of the wrecks and artifacts. The Spanish and U.S. governments established a formal agreement in 2006, whereby the National Park Service would help preserve and conserve the artifacts and their historical value. A selection of the artifacts are on public display at the Assateague Island National Seashore visitor center in Maryland.
Assateague Island is part of a chain of barrier islands that extend from Maine to Texas. In 1933, a hurricane created an inlet that separated Assateague Island from Fenwick Island to its north. Today, Assateague Island is managed by three different agencies; the Maryland end is managed by the National Park Service and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, while the Virginia end is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In Virginia, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1943. In Maryland, Assateague State Park was created in 1956 and Assateague Island National Seashore was created in 1965. A memorandum of understanding between the national wildlife refuge and the national seashore permits the National Park Service to provide certain activities on the Virginia end of the island. The National Park Service partnered with the Virtual Curation Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to use 3D scanning technology to reproduce coins from La Galga and Juno. VCU posted the coins, as well as other artifacts from the shipwrecks, online. As a result, the coins may be studied without visiting Assateague Island.
Relative Dating Using Coins
Coins are valuable to archeologists because they provide information about currency and trade. For example, if archeologists find a coin from Great Britain on a ship from Florida en route to Spain, they could then start asking questions about traded goods or specific trade routes.
Coins can also help archeologists identify shipwrecks by determining a relative date or timeframe during which the ships were in service. Coins found near La Galga and Juno helped archeologists to identify the wrecks, in part by determining a relative date. Discovery of coins marked 1734 and 1799 among the La Galga and Juno sites indicated that the shipwrecks could not have wrecked before 1734 and 1799. Some older coins did not have years pressed on them, but their markings provided dates to the late 1600s-early 1700s. These dates correlate to historical records of La Galga and Juno. These coins, called Spanish reales (meaning royal in Spanish), were Spain’s currency from the mid-14th century until 1868, when the real was replaced by the peseta. Spanish reales came in silver and gold, but silver coins were most common.
The images below are of 3D replicas of coins found near La Galga and Juno. When archeologists examine coins, they look for:
A year is often stamped on the bottom of the coin. The Spanish ruler at the time is sometimes also pictured. When archeologists find dated coins, they can correlate them to a king and the history of that time period, for instance:
Philip III, 1598-1621
Philip IV, 1621-1665
Charles II, 1665-1700
Philip V, 1700-1746
Luis I, 1724
Fernando VI, 1746-1759
Carlos III, 1759-1788
Carlos IV, 1788-1808
Jose Napoleon, 1808-1813
Ferdinand VII, 1808-1833
On the right is an example of a Spanish real showing the year 1741, when Philip V was king. See the coin in 3D.
Method of Manufacture
Spanish reales came in all shapes and sizes, in part due to their manufacture. The method of manufacture helps archeologists to identify the coins found at La Galga and Juno.
Spanish colonial reales were cobs, meaning the coins were cut from silver bars into different shapes and were chipped down to the exact weight. "Cob" refers to the Spanish word cabo (end of bar). Later coins were milled, meaning manufactured by laying out a sheet of silver or gold and punching out perfect circles.
If the coin is a perfectly round shape, it is milled. If the coin is an irregular shape, it is cobbed. To the right are examples of a milled and a cobbed coin. See the milled coin in 3D and the cobbed coin in 3D.
The denomination - or value - of a coin is found usually on the edge, next to initials, or beside the main design. On Spanish reales, the denomination is most commonly seen as 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 following a "r" or "s." Coins might, for example, be 1 real or 8 reales.
To the right is reverse of a coin. In this case, the denomination of the coin is found on the back. It was worth 8s. See the coin in 3D.
Mint Marks
Mint marks indicate where the coin was made. In addition to Spain, Spanish reales were also produced and used in Spanish colonies, such as Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Guatemala. Mint marks are usually placed beside numeric denominations on the edges of the coin or next to the main design.
Mint marks indicate where the coin was made. In addition to Spain, Spanish reales were also produced and used in Spanish colonies, such as Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Guatemala. Mint marks are usually placed beside numeric denominations on the edges of the coin or next to the main design.
The Asseyer was a government agent who verified that the coins were manufactured to government standards. There were standard weight and purity measurements for the various denominations. Asseyer initials are letters with nothing separating them. They are usually on the edges of the coin or next to the main design.
To the right is reverse of a coin. In this case, the denomination of the coin is found on the back. The asseyer initial is "MF." See the coin in 3D.
Help Preserve the Past
Historically, archeological sites – and particularly underwater sites - have been heavily looted. Not only is looting illegal, but once objects are removed from the site, it makes understanding the history and story behind it exceptionally challenging. By learning about Spanish coins and how to identify them in the correct way, you are preserving their history.