What was the São José?

The São José was a “carrack,” an immense sailing vessel distinguished by her huge stern castle towering high above the sea. Armed with brass cannon, she was typical of Portuguese ships sailing to the Far East, transporting ballast, passengers and the annual consignment of money to support trade with the East and Portuguese outposts along the trade routes. The São José carried an impressive cargo, the legendary silver treasure of Philip III, King of Portugal, that had been handed over to Francisco da Gama on his way to India. The shipment included nine chests filled with thousands of silver reales coins produced in both the Old and New World mints.

Who was Francisco da Gama?

Francisco da Gama was the great grandson of Vasco da Gama, the legendary Portugese explorer and the first European to set foot in India via sea route.

What is the São José’s history?

The São José was lost in 1622 off the coast of Mozambique after being attacked by English and Dutch defense ships while on a mission to deliver Francisco da Gama to reign as the Viceroy of India. On board, she carried a royal treasure of the Portuguese Empire to support trade with the East and Portuguese outposts on the trade route.

Who discovered the São José?

After extensive historical research in British, Dutch and Portuguese archives followed by a large area magnetometer survey in 2003 and 2004, Arqueonautas Worldwide – Arqueologia Subaquática SA (AWW), in partnership with its Mozambican counterpart Património Internacional SARL began with the excavation and recovery of the São José in April 2005 off the coast of Mozambique.

An Arqueonautas team of 27 specialists, including trained divers, archaeologists, conservation experts and specialized back-up personnel, has excavated the remains of the São José under the supervision of the marine archaeologist Alejandro Mirabal.

What has been recovered from the São José so far?

The items discovered and recovered to date include four large bronze cannon and a quantity of rare silver coins.

Based on their remarkable story linking the New World and the Portuguese maritime trade routes, the São José coins are composed of a unique assortment of Old and New World mints. Rated as extremely rare, never before available to collectors for private ownership (by Daniel Sedwick, Author of The Practical Book of Cobs), of the approximately 24,000 coins recovered, fewer than 7,200 are collectibles in excellent condition, provenance-certified and graded by NGC.

Was the recovery conducted in an archaeologically sensitive manner?

On any project, Arqueonautas works to established methodologies, highest scientific and archaeological standards and in strict accordance with the license agreement established in 1999 with the Government of Mozambique and Património Internacional, which has been recently prolonged through 2010.

The results achieved and the papers published as a result of the work done will contribute to enhance the scientific knowledge about maritime trade and naval technology in the seventeenth century.

Are the artifacts undergoing appropriate conservation?

Conservation work is being carried out following the best available standards at the “Centro de Conservação Marítima” set up on the Isle of Mozambique by Arqueonautas and Património Internacional SARL.

How are Odyssey and Arqueonautas linked?

Following the successful recovery of the São José coins, and being aware of Odyssey’s extensive expertise in coin marketing, Arqueonautas offered Odyssey the exclusive right to market the coins through its distributors. After determining that the coins had been recovered and conserved in the archaeologically sensitive manner that Odyssey’s philosophy is based on, Odyssey agreed to collaborate with Arqueonautas on this project and is proud to present this unique, rare, and historic collection to the public for the first time.