Ducats and coins sewn into clothing: what does a sunken merchant ship continue to “share”?

This summer, a group of Dutch and British scientists discovered unusual silver coins on a sunken merchant ship.

The vessel, named Rousewake, was owned by the Dutch East India Company and sank in 1740 in the area of ​​the British port of Dover. It was sent from Amsterdam to Batavia (modern Jakareta, Indonesia) for the purchase of spices and porcelain.

Coins were found at a depth of 26 meters. Among them were ducatons with small holes, as well as some coins sewn into sailors' clothes. Archaeologists believe that smuggled silver was transported in this way.

According to expert estimates, the total value of the ship’s cargo was more than 300,000 guilders (in terms of the current rate of $ 163,000).

For the first time, fragments of this ship were discovered in 2005. Since then, finds from the past appear with enviable periodicity.