Colombian researchers have recovered the first artefacts from the wreck of the San Jose galleon, an 18th-century Spanish warship believed to be carrying billions of dollars’ worth of gold, silver and emeralds when it sank in 1708.
A porcelain cup, coins and a bronze cannon were lifted from roughly 600 meters below the surface during a recent deep-sea operation.
The exact location of the San Jose remains classified by the Colombian government as a state secret, and estimates of its cargo’s monetary worth range from $17 to $20 billion in today’s dollars.
What has been recovered so far
The newly retrieved items include an engraved bronze cannon, three hammered coins, and a porcelain cup still largely intact after three centuries underwater.
Columbia Culture MinistryOfficials say the expedition is focused on scientific study and conservation rather than commercial salvage, with all items now undergoing preservation work.
The San Jose is widely referred to as the “holy grail of shipwrecks” due to its enormous estimated cargo value and has frequently been the topic of legal dispute.
“Each of the archaeological objects collected from the shipwreck opens up the possibilities of discovering more aspects of the history of the San Jose galleon,” the Colombian government said in a statement on November 20.
While the San Jose is believed to hold cargo worth considerably more, it’s not the only wreck known to have contained a fortune. In October 2025, divers recovered over 1,000 silver and gold coins from a 1715 Spanish shipwreck off Florida’s so-called Treasure Coast, worth $1 million.