A treasure ship arrives...
Item # 683551This item is currently up for auction on eBay (item #110588487331). You’re welcome to bid there, or email us at info@rarenewspapers.com if you’d prefer to buy directly at the web-price. If it remains unsold, we’ll be in touch.
October 11, 1726
THE POST BOY, London, Oct. 11, 1726
* Golden age of Piracy - Pirates
Among the front page reports is a one noting in part: "...Notice of the safe arrival of the flotilla...at the Havanna...with a treasure from Vera Cruz, valued at above 15 millions of pieces of eight...which obliged the commander of the galleons to land the treasure, it being much more considerable than that of the flotilla, and sent it up to Cruces, ten leagues in the country, till all the sea forces in those parts could be collected together to convoy the gallons in safety."
A single sheet issue, 8 1/2 by 14 inches, two decorative engravings in the masthead, very nice condition.
Background: This 1726 edition of The Post Boy is a museum-grade artifact capturing the exact moment the Spanish Empire outmaneuvered the British Navy in a half-billion-dollar game of cat-and-mouse. The report chronicles the arrival of a staggering 15 million pieces of eight—a fortune so vast it was capable of funding empires—and the desperate tactical decision by Admiral Antonio Gaztañeta to offload this silver and spirit it into the Panamanian jungle at Cruces to evade a looming British blockade. For the discerning collector, this isn't merely a newspaper; it is a high-stakes intelligence briefing from the Golden Age of Piracy, printed on 300-year-old rag linen paper that remains in stunning condition. With its iconic masthead engravings and "breaking news" urgency, this document offers a visceral, front-row seat to the geopolitical tension of the 1720s, immortalizing the daring logistics of the Spanish Treasure Fleet and the era’s ruthless struggle for global maritime supremacy.
* Golden age of Piracy - Pirates
Among the front page reports is a one noting in part: "...Notice of the safe arrival of the flotilla...at the Havanna...with a treasure from Vera Cruz, valued at above 15 millions of pieces of eight...which obliged the commander of the galleons to land the treasure, it being much more considerable than that of the flotilla, and sent it up to Cruces, ten leagues in the country, till all the sea forces in those parts could be collected together to convoy the gallons in safety."
A single sheet issue, 8 1/2 by 14 inches, two decorative engravings in the masthead, very nice condition.
Background: This 1726 edition of The Post Boy is a museum-grade artifact capturing the exact moment the Spanish Empire outmaneuvered the British Navy in a half-billion-dollar game of cat-and-mouse. The report chronicles the arrival of a staggering 15 million pieces of eight—a fortune so vast it was capable of funding empires—and the desperate tactical decision by Admiral Antonio Gaztañeta to offload this silver and spirit it into the Panamanian jungle at Cruces to evade a looming British blockade. For the discerning collector, this isn't merely a newspaper; it is a high-stakes intelligence briefing from the Golden Age of Piracy, printed on 300-year-old rag linen paper that remains in stunning condition. With its iconic masthead engravings and "breaking news" urgency, this document offers a visceral, front-row seat to the geopolitical tension of the 1720s, immortalizing the daring logistics of the Spanish Treasure Fleet and the era’s ruthless struggle for global maritime supremacy.
Item from last month's catalog - #364 - released for March, 2026.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
