Gold gilt silver box found on Douglass Beach site
Eric Schmitt and the crew of the M/V Aarrr Booty continued to make interesting finds during July at the 1715 fleet Douglas Beach wreck site. Among the artifacts they recovered were a number of large pewter buttons and a silver sowing thimbles, which, upon cleaning and conservation may prove to be two thimbles nested together. Even more interesting was a small, gold gilt, silver box. While most of the gold gilt has been removed by over three centuries of submersion within the high energy, shallow water marine environment, this small box still remains amazingly intact. A finely etched flower motif design can be discerned on the lid. Was this container for a small selection of personal jewelry belonging to a wealthy passenger aboard the 1715 fleet? Or perhaps it was used as a snuff box, which was common to the period. We may never fully be able to answer this question.
