Peter Jones has just published a new book on shipwreck coins entitled TREASURE! Congratulations! -Editor

The concept of collecting coins from shipwrecks is relatively new, practically unheard of before the 1960s, when metal detectors and SCUBA diving began to make shipwreck salvage commercially viable. Since that time, coins that were previously considered melt-value items have taken on new lives as historical objects, tangible relics from maritime tragedies related to storms, war, piracy or navigational error (and combinations thereof). What better way to appreciate history than to hold in your own hands actual objects that were there firsthand?

This latest work from Peter Jones describes his collecting journey through several centuries and nationalities worth of shipwrecks around the world. Peter did not just collect the coins—he collected the histories, and he spent countless hours researching and writing about the journeys that brought each coin to him. In many ways, this book is inspired by and expanded from Tom Sebring's 1986 classic Treasure Tales. Indeed Peter is very much like Tom was—eminently curious about every topic and eager to share every bit of knowledge to be found. In the process Peter has created this masterful book, a veritable Handbook for Treasure Collectors.

Just about every treasure wreck is here, or at least the most important ones, meticulously organized by nationality and time period, with tables of data throughout and quick reference summaries at the end. While eminently readable, this is not just a handbook or history book—it is also a picture book, supremely illustrated with top-quality coin photographs, maps, portraits and other graphics that bring everything to life.

All five W's—who, what, where, when and why—are not just answered but shown. Such a beautiful book is nothing short of inspiring. So whether you are an advanced treasure collector or just curious, enjoy Peter's journey in these pages and experience the rush of truly owning history. The real treasure is knowledge! Sections include Spanish shipwreck stories, Dutch shipwreck stories, British shipwreck stories, American shipwreck stories, other nationality shipwreck stories. The book finishes with a chapter on captured ships and other stories.

The first chapter reviews the history of money, money in the Spanish New World, Potosi mining and minting, the Spanish fleet system, the Dutch East India Company, the history of diving, the Silk Road, a brief history of ships, navigation and weather, finding shipwrecks, and the politics of salvage. A 17-page glossary includes points about shipwrecks, ship prefixes, types of ships, detailed Spanish colonial cob identification guide, colonial rulers, money systems and weights, Mexican, English, and French metrology, US GDP, population, and labor costs from 1790 to 2017, and maps of Spanish viceroyalties.

"A veritable Handbook for Treasure Collectors. Just about every treasure wreck is here... meticulously organized by nationality and time period. While eminently readable, this is not just a handbook or history book — it is also a picture book, supremely illustrated with top-quality coin photographs, maps, portraits and other graphics that bring everything to life. Such a beautiful book is nothing short of inspiring."