When coins are discovered on the ocean floor, they look quite different from most of the coins you will see on display at Shipwrecked Treasure Museum. After spending years underwater, often miles beneath the surface, the coins found in shipwrecks can blend in quite well with the ocean floor and will actually begin to stick together in a solid mass in what is known as “concretion”. When the coins are recovered, they go through a thorough cleaning process to remove the sediment and bring them back to a shiny silver appearance. An example of concreted coins is on display to give visitors an idea of how the ocean water affects the treasure, how difficult concreted coins can be to spot among the wreckage, and what the coins must go through to make them suitable for display.
