Found a coin on a Florida beach? What to do

You were walking a Florida beach after a storm, and something dark and surprisingly heavy turned up in the sand. Maybe it is a modern coin. Maybe it is a worn washer. And maybe, on this particular coast, it is a piece of eight that has been in the ocean since 1715. What you do in the next hour matters, because the most common mistakes happen right at the start. Here is a calm order of operations.

First: stop, and do not clean it

The single worst thing you can do to a possible treasure coin is clean it. It feels natural to rub off the crust and see what is underneath, but on a sea-found coin that crust and toning are part of its worth, and a genuine shipwreck coin that has been scrubbed or dipped can lose a large share of its worth in seconds. Conservators clean these coins with specialist methods for a reason. Leave yours exactly as it came out of the sand.

While you are resisting the urge to polish, do two useful things. Note exactly where you found it, as precisely as you can, and take clear photographs of both sides in good light. Location and honest photos help with both identification and any question of ownership later.

Is it real? Quick checks

Most beach finds are modern junk, so a few simple tests save a lot of excitement. None needs cleaning.

• Weight and size. A Spanish 8 reales is near 27 grams and about 38 to 40 millimeters across, larger and heavier than a US quarter. A gold coin is smaller but very dense. A featherweight disc is almost surely not silver.
• Magnet. Silver and gold are not magnetic. If the coin jumps to a magnet, it is base metal, and not a Spanish treasure coin.
• The design. Look for a crowned shield, or two pillars with waves, or a cross with lions and castles. Hand-struck coins have uneven relief and honest, slightly crude detail. Machine-perfect, identical detail on a supposedly old coin is a warning sign.

If it passes these, it is worth a proper look. Our guide to identifying a Spanish colonial coin walks through the mint mark, assayer, denomination, and date that name the coin.

Florida find law, in plain terms

This is where you have to be careful, and where we will not pretend to give you legal advice. Florida takes its underwater heritage seriously. Artifacts on state-owned submerged lands can belong to the state, and many wreck sites along the Treasure Coast are covered by salvage leases held by companies such as the 1715 Fleet salvors, which means material from those areas is not simply finders-keepers. Reports of the state’s share of recovered treasure and of custodianship over specific wreck zones are common, and the details depend on exactly where an object was found and under what conditions.

Because the rules turn on those specifics and can change, the responsible step is to verify before you act. The Florida Division of Historical Resources is the state authority on archaeological and historic finds, and it is the right first stop to understand what you may keep, what must be reported, and what the law requires for the spot where you were standing.

Who to contact

Once you have photos and a location and you have left the coin alone, line up the right help. For identification and an honest opinion on authenticity, a reputable coin dealer or professional numismatist is the place to start, and a recognized third-party grading service is worth it if the coin may be genuine and worth real money. For questions about the law and any protected wreck, contact the Florida Division of Historical Resources. The treasure and salvage museums on the Treasure Coast, including the McLarty museum near Sebastian Inlet, can also point you toward knowledgeable people.

Handled in this order, a lucky find stays a lucky find. Rushed, cleaned, and sold blind, it can turn from a documented treasure coin into a scrubbed piece of anonymous silver. Slow down, keep it as found, learn what it is, and check the rules. Then enjoy it.