The loss of any ship carrying gold and silver indirectly impacts trade, economies, wars, even kingdoms. However, unlike most of the hundreds of ships lost at sea, El Cazador had a specific mission to accomplish, and its loss had a directly negative impact on the Spanish Empire, and a conversely positive one - By way of Napoleon - on the development of the nascent United States.

El Cazador (The Hunter) and the 450,000 freshly minted coins in its hold sailed January 11, 1784 from Vera Cruz for New Orleans, and the then Spanish Louisiana. The task was to shore up the local economy by retiring discredited Spanish currency, issued some 20 years earlier. The Ship, her crew, and the treasure she was carrying disappeared without a trace.

This loss hastened the devaluation of the local currency, and economy, and its value in trade negotiations between Spain and France. Spain was facing war with France and could not maintain the financially faltering Louisiana Territory. In order to avoid war the pragmatic King Carlos IV of Spain ceded the territory to Napoleon.

The El Cazador never made it to New Orleans. The ship and all

aboard were lost in the cold wintry seas never to be heard from again, until now. Facing his own problems Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to President Thomas Jefferson for a paltry sum of only $15 million. At 3 cents an acre Jefferson more than doubled the size of the United States, acquiring Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota south of the Mississippi River, much of North Dakota, nearly all of South Dakota, northeastern New Mexico, northern Texas, the portions of Montana, Wyoming and Colorado east of the Continental Divide, and Louisiana on both sides of the Mississippi River, including the city of New Orleans.

The wreck truly altered the development of the United States and politics on a world stage. It wasn't until August 2, 1993 that the mystery of the El Cazador would be solved. The wreck was discovered by Captain Jerry Murphy aboard the commercial fishing boat Mistake. This was truly not a mistake, but a fortunate turn of events that lets us write the final chapter of the El Cazador.

We at Smythe are truly honored to offer the coins and artifacts from the El Cazador and to be associated with its important legacy; and to preserve its history.