Last week I borrowed the movie National Treasure, but I didn’t get a chance to watch it until yesterday. After watching the movie (which is really good, BTW) I had some extra time to kill so I decided to watch all the bonus features. They had the usual deleted/extended scenes plus some on-the-set documentaries and such, but the coolest part had to do with modern day treasure hunters. Most notably, Mel Fisher. If you have never heard of Mel Fisher, here’s a quick snippet from his web site:
Mel Fisher, a dreamer, a visionary, a legend and most importantly, the World’s Greatest Treasure Hunter! Mel Fisher did what many have not – he realized his dream during his lifetime. Everyday he insisted, “Today’s the Day”! His mantra continues to inspire the search for the rest of the treasure from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha and the Santa Margarita, the Spanish galleons that sank during a hurricane on September 6, 1622, near Key West, Florida.
Mel Fisher suffered many personal losses to keep his dream alive during his 16 year search and endured over 100 court battles which ended in victory in the US Supreme Court. The riches Mel Fisher, his team and investors had worked so hard for all those years were finally theirs. The $450 million dollar treasure cache or “Atocha Mother Lode” would be found on that momentous day, July 20, 1985. Over 40 tons of silver and gold were located including over 100,000 Spanish silver coins known as “Pieces of Eight”, gold coins, Columbian emeralds, silver and gold artifacts and over 1000 silver bars.
Many years ago I went on vacation with my grandparents. We drove in a motor home from Los Angeles to Key West Florida and back. While in Key West I had the privilege to meet Mel Fisher and somewhere I have a photo of Mel, my grandpa and myself with a gold chain that must be 20 feet long wrapped around all our necks. It was definitely one of the highlights of the vacation.
While we were at the Mel’s museum my grandpa purchased one of the silver coins from the Atocha which he wore around his neck for many, many years. When he passed away a few years back he passed the necklace on to me. It is, without a doubt, one of my most prized possessions.
If you are ever in Key West, be sure to check out the Mel Fisher Museum. The treasure on display is absolutely amazing. I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to share that experience with my grandparents all those years ago, and I hope one day I’ll get to share it with my kids or even my grandkids.
Have you ever been to the Mel Fischer’s Treasures museum/store in the District? I’m surprised you didn’t mention it in your post. You can look or even acquire (if you have a small fortune) treasures from many of Mel’s team dives, including the Atocha. They have chains, gold bars, silver and gold coins, gold crosses, etc. They also have an investor’s club that lets you invest in their expeditions and once a year join them on a dive. It sounds pretty cool and something I hope to one day be able to do.
Ya know what, I totally forgot about the store in the District. Thanks for mentioning it. I’ll have to go in there one day. I’ll be sure to wear my necklace.