Monday, December 17, 2007

Possible Largest Historical Shipwreck Coin Recovery

There have been multiple ship wreck discoveries in 2007 that have yielded large amounts of buried treasure, so to speak, but the code-named “Black Swan” is one of the most impressive. Odyssey Marine Exploration, the world's leader in deep-ocean shipwreck exploration, has recovered 500,000 silver coins, which weigh more than 17 tons, hundreds of gold coins, worked gold, and countless other artifacts. If the results of the conservation and documentation are consistent with speculation, this recovery will constitute the largest collection of coins ever excavated from a historical shipwreck site.
“Our research suggests that there were a number of Colonial period shipwrecks that were lost in the area where this site is located, so we are being very cautious about speculating as to the possible identity of the shipwreck,” said John Morris, Odyssey Co-founder and CEO. “Nevertheless, we have treated this site with kid gloves and the archaeological work done by our team out there is unsurpassed. We are thoroughly documenting and recording the site, which we believe will have immense historical significance.” Although your personal
coin collecting might not produce 17 tons worth of material, it is still prudent to manage your collections for future purposes. Good luck finding buried treasure of your own!

Johnny Depp At The Top For Autographed Memorabilia

The Associated Press released a great article last week about celebrity autographed memorabilia. Johnny Depp ranked at the top of the charts as the most gracious celebrity for the third year in a row. Behind him in adoring-fan generosity are: Matt Damon, George Clooney, Jack Nicholson, Rosario Dawson, John Travolta, Katherine Heigl, Jay Leno, Dakota Fanning, and Russell Crowe. Crowe's placement on the Top 10 was considered a surprise, as he is infamous for throwing temper tantrums when it comes to fans and paparazzi, but the 43-year-old actor has apparently turned over a new leaf.
The worst celebrity signers are shamed in the following order: Will Ferrell, Tobey Maguire, Joaquin Phoenix, William Shatner, Renee Zellweger, John Malkovich, Julie Andrews, Bruce Willis, Teri Hatcher, and Scarlett Johansson.
The editors of Autograph magazine, who compile the list annually, said they take into account input from autograph-collecting judges based in Europe, New York, and California when ranking the celebs.
If you need help pricing or organizing your collections of celebrity autographs, use an iTaggit account, as opposed to software for collectors, for the most secure way to store your valuable's information. Then be sure to share your autographs with the rest of our community, and add in the interesting story of how you obtained them in the notes section!