Florida Man Finds $300,000 in Sunken Spanish Treasure

Gold chain, coins, ring

A 65-year-old Florida man has spent his life searching for treasure off the coast—and Rick Schmitt and his family have just made their biggest-ever discovery.

Some 150 yards off the coast of Fort Pierce, and about 15 feet underwater, the Schmitt family found 64 feet of gold chain, five gold coins, and a gold ring; the haul has been valued at an estimated $300,000, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Comments

[Sevo]

The government will figure out a way to steal it from him.
Much better to have shut up and sold it piece-meal.

[UnCivilServant]

The laws are already on the books to screw salvagers and treasure hunters.

In modern times, the disinsentive to report has probably caused more destruction of historical finds than grave robbing. (Of course, grave robbing has a much longer history of this, so it has a greater aggregate.)

[ant1sthenes]

Finally, Florida Man catches a break.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I didn't read the article but does the guy get to keep his treasure or does the government feel entitled to it?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I need a Tony app to let me know when he chimes in.