Characterization of a Coin from the Shipwreck of HMS Swift (1770).

DE ROSA, HORACIO; ELKIN, DOLORES; CIARLO, NICOLÁS C.; SAPORITI, FABIANA

Technical Briefs in Historical Archaeology

The Society for Historical Archaeology

Lugar: Rockville, Maryland; Año: 2007 p. 32 - 36

1940-6894

A metal disk, presumed to be a coin, was found in the wreck of the British sloop of war HMS Swift sunk in 1770 in the Deseado estuary, currently Patagonia, Argentina. After cleaning, marks became noticeable, revealing the features of a halfpenny from the late period of King George II. Metallographic and chemical tests performed on the surface showed that the coin was made of an alloy of copper, zinc, and tin, and its microstructure was of a cast material. These characteristics illustrate the coin to be counterfeit.