Description:
The “Association”, a 90-gun British Royal Navy ship of the line, was launched at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1697. After the Battle of Toulon in 1707, the Association, commanded by Captain Edmund Loades and with Admiral Shovell on board, was in a fleet of 21 ships returning from the Mediterranean with many chests of personal wealth.
On October 22, 1707, navigational errors and stormy conditions resulted in the Association and four other ships sailing straight into the rocks of the Scilly Isles off southwest England. It was one of the worst British maritime disasters of all time, with as many as 2,000 sailors losing their lives, 800 of which perished aboard the Association including Captain Loades and Admiral Shovell.
This shipwreck site was found in 1967 by British navy divers, which began a great amount of salvage work for many years. Strong currents made the salvage operation difficult and dangerous. Cannons were recovered along with some coins in the late 1960s. However, it was not until 1973 that a great part of the treasure (over 8,000 coins) was found. Most of the coins recovered were British silver and gold, but there was also a large amount of Spanish silver cob coins or “Pieces of Eight” minted in the New World in the late 1600s.
This British silver halfcrown coin was recovered from the Association shipwreck. The obverse shows William III, who was King of England from 1689 – 1702. The reverse shows the 1701 date and crowned cruciform shields around a central Nassau lion.
