Authentic coins, shipwreck treasure, arms and artifacts from the age of piracy and exploration.
A rotating selection of authentic historical pieces available for acquisition.
Frozen in Time Beneath the Sea: More than three centuries beneath the Atlantic transformed these individual objects into a single remarkable piece of maritime history. Recovered from the wreckage of the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet, this conglomerate formed around an original iron ship's spike and still preserves an 8 reales silver coin, a 2 reales silver coin, and a fragment of period pottery within its marine encrustation.
On July 31, 1715, a hurricane devastated the Spanish fleet along Florida's coast, scattering ships, cargo, coins, and personal possessions across the seafloor. Over the centuries that followed, corrosion and marine growth gradually bound these objects together.
Unlike an isolated shipwreck coin, the conglomerate survives as a miniature archaeological snapshot of the wreck site itself.. Spanish silver, shipboard material, and an original iron fitting preserved together exactly as the sea left them.
Black Flag Antiquities specializes in authentic objects from the age of piracy, exploration, and maritime empire. From Spanish colonial silver and recovered shipwreck treasure to historic arms, artifacts, and wearable relics, each piece is selected for its history, authenticity, and character.
Our Story
For founder Nick Amelio, collecting history began long before Black Flag Antiquities.
At eight years old, Nick began metal detecting, searching old ground for coins, relics, and artifacts left behind generations before. What started as a childhood fascination grew into a lifelong pursuit of the objects, and the stories that survive from the past.
By fifteen, that pursuit had taken him offshore, treasure salvaging on the wreck sites of the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet along Florida's Treasure Coast. Working these historic sites provided firsthand experience with shipwreck material: recovering, handling, studying, and learning to recognize artifacts that had spent centuries beneath the sea.
That experience became the foundation for Black Flag Antiquities.
Today, Nick applies a lifetime of searching, collecting, and studying historic material to curate exceptional authentic treasures from around the world… from Spanish colonial silver and shipwreck artifacts to historic arms, coins, and rare objects from the age of exploration.
Black Flag Antiquities was built by a treasure hunter, for those who want to own a genuine piece of history.
Remarkable pieces that have passed through the Black Flag collection.
Sold4 Daler Swedish Shipwreck Plate Money
Sweden — private sale
SoldAtocha 8 Reale Gold Wrapped Pendant
Atocha — commissioned mounting
SoldAtocha Shipwreck 8 Reale
Atocha 1622 — dispersed
Sold17th Century Spanish Thunder Mug with Coat of Arms
Spanish colonial — collection piece
SoldBronze Thunder Mug, Handled
Spanish colonial Peru — sold
Sold1715 Fleet Mexico 8 Reales Cob — Uncleaned
1715 Fleet — sold
Receive first access to newly acquired pieces, exceptional finds, and private offerings.
