Shipwreck Numismatics on the South African Coast: A Brief Overview

South Africa’s rugged coastline—ranging from the storm-lashed Cape of Good Hope to the subtropical shores of the eastern seaboard—has claimed thousands of vessels over the past five centuries. For numismatists, this graveyard of wrecks is not just a catalogue of maritime tragedy but also a treasure trove of historic coinage. The coins recovered from these sites tell stories of global trade, imperial rivalry, and the practical monetary systems of sailors and merchants alike. Here, we explore in succinct detail the known wrecks around the South African coastline that have yielded coins and the types of currency associated with them.

1. The Johanna (1682) — Spanish Silver Cobs and Pieces-of-Eight

The Johanna (also spelled Joanna) was a British East India Company Indiaman that wrecked on 8 June 1682 near Cape Agulhas during its outbound voyage from England to India. Onboard were 70 chests of silver bullion, largely in the form of Spanish “pieces-of-eight” — silver 8 reales — widely used in international trade in the 17th century.

• Coins Recovered: Spanish colonial silver cobs — primarily 8 reales and smaller denominations — struck in mints such as Mexico City and Potosí, and circulating globally as “pieces-of-eight.”

• Salvage History: Shortly after the wreck, local divers under VOC oversight recovered large amounts of these coins. In 1982, a modern salvage recovered over 23 000 coins plus several hundred kilograms of silver that had lain undisturbed for centuries.

• Numismatic Significance: This site is one of the oldest and richest coin-bearing wrecks on South African waters and illustrates the widespread use of Spanish bullion coinage in global commerce at the time.

2. The Kraijenstein (1698) — Early VOC Silver at the Cape

The Kraijenstein was a Dutch East India Company (VOC) vessel wrecked in 1698 off the Cape Peninsula, during a period when the refreshment station at the Cape was still developing into a major logistical hub of the VOC network. Although less famous than later VOC losses, Kraijenstein is numismatically significant as one of the earliest VOC coin-bearing wrecks known from South African waters.

• Coinage Recovered: Dutch silver ducatoons (silver rider type) and Smaller Dutch silver denominations associated with late-17th-century VOC circulation

• Numismatic Significance: The coins attributed to Kraijenstein are characteristic of early VOC monetary policy. Ducatoons — large, high-silver coins depicting the mounted knight — were favoured by the Company for their intrinsic value and acceptance in Asian markets.

  
  

Unlike later wrecks that carried enormous chests of specie, Kraijenstein appears to have transported working coinage rather than bulk bullion. As a result, the number of coins recovered has always been relatively small, and examples with reliable wreck attribution are scarce.

From a numismatic perspective, Kraijenstein is important because it demonstrates that VOC silver losses at the Cape pre-date the 18th-century “treasure wrecks” such as Merestein and Reijgersdaal. The coins form an early material link between the Cape settlement and the wider VOC trade economy.

3. The Merestein (1702) — Dutch VOC Silver Specie

One of the most productive coin wrecks found off the South African west coast is the Merestein (also spelled Merenstein), a Dutch East Indiaman that struck reefs off Jutten Island near Saldanha Bay on 3 April 1702.

• Coins Recovered: Approximately 15 000 coins were salvaged from the wreck in the 1970s, largely Dutch silver ducatoons from the 17th century — robust silver trade pieces used by the VOC — together with shillings and other minor denominations.

• Condition & Context: Many coins were found in clusters and protected within the wreck matrix; others showed heavy encrustation from long submersion.

• Historical Importance: The Merestein find provides insights into the VOC’s monetary practices, including the carriage of older withdrawn coinage intended for trade in Asian ports and the realities of maritime loss in the Age of Sail.

4. The Reijgersdaal (1747) — Mexican Pillar Dollars and Rare Cobs

The Reijgersdaal was another VOC Indiaman that foundered on 25 October 1747 off Robben and Dassen Islands. It carried chests of silver coinage bound for trade in the East Indies.

• Coins Recovered: Salvage efforts in the late 20th century turned up thousands of coins, most notably Mexican “pillar dollars” — high-silver content pieces admired by collectors — as well as a smaller number of other New World silver cobs such as Guatemalan issues.

• Numismatic Note: These pillar dollars often appear in excellent states of preservation due to rapid burial and relatively calm seabed conditions near the wreck site.

5. Fame (1822) — Diverse Gold Coinages

The British East Indiaman Fame met its end off Sea Point in Table Bay on 14 June 1822. Modern salvage by George and James Bell recovered a mixed assemblage of gold coins from the wreck.

• Coinage Recovered: The Bell salvage yielded a remarkable range of gold coinage, illustrating the global monetary practices of the early 19th century: British sovereigns and guineas, British East India Company mohurs in fractional denominations, and various Indian and South Asian gold issues such as pagodas and fanams.

• Collector Interest: Some of these coins have been certified by major grading services and command high values among collectors due to their provenance and wreck allocation.

6. Doddington (1755) — “Clive of India” Gold

While not all gold coin finds around South Africa are fully documented, the East Indiaman Doddington, wrecked in 1755 near Algoa Bay, is famous for carrying a chest of gold coins tied to the British officer Robert Clive (the so-called “Clive of India”).

• Recovered Coinage: Controversial salvage and subsequent legal disputes in the late 20th century saw many of these gold coins recovered and partially returned under South African heritage laws.

• Legal Legacy: The Doddington case influenced international heritage protection practice, highlighting the tension between treasure hunting and archaeological stewardship.

7. Grosvenor (1782) — Rumored Treasure and Tangible Finds

The Grosvenor, wrecked off the Pondoland coast in 1782, has a legendary reputation for treasure. Although the bulk of the rumored treasure remains lost, measured recoveries have yielded both gold and silver coins along with personal artefacts.

• Coins Reported: Local salvage efforts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries recovered Indian coins such as pagodas, Venetian ducats, and smaller silver pieces, indicating a mixed cargo of personal and trade coinage aboard.

• Archaeological Status: The Grosvenor site remains of great interest and occasional finds still surface along the Wild Coast.

8. Birkenhead (1852) and Arniston (1815) — Limited Coinage and Personal Pieces

Later wrecks such as the troopship Birkenhead and the East Indiaman Arniston provide numismatic interest mostly through personal coins and small finds rather than large bullion cargos:

• Birkenhead: Rumoured to have carried a payroll in gold; modern salvage recovered only limited gold coins believed to be personal effects.

• Arniston: A tragic wreck near Cape Agulhas, yielding a small number of gold items and possibly some coins; heritage theft has unfortunately diminished the available artefacts.

Conclusion: Coinage as Maritime Evidence

Coins recovered from South African shipwrecks chart the evolution of global trade over more than three centuries. From Spanish silver cobs and early VOC ducatoons (Johanna and Kraijenstein), through the great 18th-century silver losses (Merestein and Reijgersdaal), to the cosmopolitan gold assemblages of the 19th century (Fame), the numismatic record mirrors the shifting priorities of empire and commerce.

These sites also remind us that shipwreck numismatics is not only about spectacular treasure hoards, but also about everyday working money, payroll, trade currency and the practical economics of life aboard VOC and East Indiaman vessels. Together, these wrecks form an underwater monetary archive unique to the South African coast.