'Gold Luck Charm' helped find $1M sunken treasure

Jennifer Sangalang | Florida Today

Show Caption Hide Caption Treasure hunters talk about $1 million underwater find After their serendipitous discovery of $1 million worth of sunken treasure, the Schmitt family explains why the gold coins are so valuable and the historical circumstances behind the booty.

SEBASTIAN, Fla. — It was the best birthday ever for Hillary Schmitt of Sanford, Fla. She and her treasure-hunting family held a news conference Tuesday to finally talk about their million-dollar find of sunken Spanish treasure off the Florida coast.

The discovery happened June 17, when she turned 22.

“She told us we are going to find gold today,” said her brother Eric Schmitt. “Lo and behold about 9:30 that morning we found gold coins.”

That earned Hillary Schmitt the nickname, “The Gold Luck Charm.”

“I don’t know what it is, I like it,” the University of Central Florida grad said of her apparent good luck. “They always want me there so I have to be there as much as I can for my family. And I love it.”

The $1 million worth of treasure recovered included:

• 51 gold coins

• 40 feet of ornate gold chain

• A single coin called a Royal made for King Phillip V of Spain. The coin — nicknamed “Tricentennial Royal” — is dated 1715 and could be worth about $500,000.

News of the family’s discovery was delayed a few weeks in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Spanish treasure fleet’s shipwrecks, which sent more than $400 million worth of treasure to the bottom of the sea.

“It’s amazing, it’s the reason why you do this,” Eric Schmitt said. “The amount of hard work that goes into this is indescribable. There are breakdowns, boat issues, crew issues ... once you overcome that, it makes it all the more better.”

About 100 people listened as the siblings told their story at Capt. Hiram's Resort. The crowd consisted of fellow treasure hunters, news media and security. TBS Vision of Tokyo, a TV station, flew in from Japan for the conference.

The discovery made headlines when initially announced Monday. The Schmitts’ video was featured Tuesday on ABC News. The Today show and Fox News also will highlight the family.

Brent Brisben’s company, 1715 Fleet — Queens Jewels LLC, owns the exclusive salvage rights to the remains of the 1715 Fleet off the Treasure Coast of Florida. On Tuesday, he said the treasure belongs to the U.S. government, and the Schmitts and Brisben will split the remaining booty.

“Any artifact that is recovered from the wreck sites goes into the custody of the U.S. District Court of Florida,” he said. “We do not have legal title to them nor do the Schmitts.”

Diver finds $1 million in sunken Spanish treasure Listen as this diver realizes he's found the jackpot off the Florida coast. The sunken treasure includes 51 gold coins, 40 feet of ornate gold chain, and a rare single coin made for the king of Spain, Phillip V.

The state is entitled to up to 20% of the artifacts that 1715 Fleet — Queens Jewels LLC and its subcontractors recovered.

It is illegal for anyone to enter the waters without a permit from his organization, Brisben said. The 1715 Fleet wrecks typically produce the most artifacts on an annual basis.

Of the 10 to 25 subcontractors who work with him, the Schmitts are unique.

“They found the 1715 Tricentennial Royal, and it’s an amazing recovery,” Brisben said. “To think of a coin coming off of the bottom of the ocean 300 years after it was made on its birthday, so close to the anniversary of the sinking of these shipwrecks, is mind-boggling.”

ABOUT THE SHIPWRECK

Capitan-General Don Juan Esteban de Ubilla and his flagship, the Capitana, contained quite the cargo: more than 3.5 million pesos in priceless treasure, specifically, the queen of Spain’s jewels. En route from Cuba to Spain, 11 ships sank and their crews died during a hurricane on July 30, 1715. The shipwreck has been the subject of countless articles, books and blogs.