Elaborate Sculptural Artworks Engraved on El Cazador Shipwreck Coins
El Cazador, Dated 1783
The faces of El Cazador coins are transformed into sculptural artworks with movable elements, a craft that dates back to the 18th century and is colloquially known as a hobo nickel. The face of these shipwreck coins has been reimagined to depict a Kraken wrapping a ship in the depths of the sea. Hand-Carved and egraved with Black Enamel. The 18K Gold Ship weighs 1.2 grams. The edges and back sides are mostly unaltered, and the shipwreck effect is prominent. This work of art is made from genuine El Cazador Shipwreck coins with a sharp detailed reverse. 
 
The El Cazador, a Spanish brigantine of war, went missing in the winter of 1784 on its way from Vera Cruz, Mexico, to the port of New Orleans. On August 2, 1993, a fishing vessel working in the area unintentionally discovered the wreck site. The El Cazador treasure, which included over 400,000 Spanish 8 reales and an equal number of smaller denomination Spanish colonial coins from the Mexico City mint, was intended to stabilize the Spanish monetary system in colonial North America. The vessel's sinking contributed to Spain's eventual surrender of Louisiana to Napoleon of France in 1800. The rest is history, as Napoleon of France sold Louisiana to the United States three years later, instantly doubling its size.