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Florida family finds $1M worth of gold underwater

By Tomas Monzon
Treasure from a 1715 Spanish shipwreck was found off the coast of Fort Pierce, Fla. in July of 2015.
Treasure from a 1715 Spanish shipwreck was found off the coast of Fort Pierce, Fla. in July of 2015.

FORT PIERCE, Fla., July 28 (UPI) -- Reports of a Florida treasure hunter family discovering over $1 million worth of gold coins and jewelry surfaced Monday.

In June, The Schmitt family and 1715 Fleet - Queens Jewels LLC found 51 gold coins, 40 feet of gold chain and a single unique coin dubbed the Tricentennial Royal off the coast of Fort Pierce, Fla. They initially kept the discovery a secret until 1715 Fleet's announcement, which coincides with the 300th anniversary of the Spanish shipwreck of the same name.

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A video of one of the hunters' excitement upon finding some of the coins has become popular on social media.

The historic wreck has been the subject of multiple books and documentaries, which relate the story of captain Juan Esteban de Ubilla and his flagship the Capitana. His ship, carrying millions of pesos in treasure, the ship and 10 others in the fleer sank during a hurricane on July 30, 1715 enroute from Cuba to Spain.

1715 Fleet - Queens Jewels LLC, headed by treasure hunter Brent Brisben and his father William, is devoted to salvaging historic shipwrecks. A press conference with the Schmitt family - who are subcontractors to the company - is scheduled for noon Tuesday. Brisben said five more ships from the 1715 shipwreck are still missing, with an estimated $400 million worth of treasure awaiting to be found.

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