( CNN ) -- `` Constantly searching for a needle in a haystack '' is what Brent Brisben says he does for a living , and on days like Saturday , the payoff makes the work worthwhile . Brisben owns the 1715 Treasure Fleet Queen 's Jewels salvage company . This weekend , he and his crew of three found quite a few `` needles '' in their oceanic `` haystack '' -- 48 gold coins that date back 300 years , to be exact . The coins , called escudos , were part of the treasure aboard a fleet of 11 Spanish galleons wrecked by a hurricane off the Florida coast on July 31 , 1715 . It was this famous shipwreck that gave this part of Florida its nickname , The Treasure Coast . The coins appear to be in good condition , and still have some legible dates and markings . The oldest bears the date 1697 ; the youngest is dated 1714 . The 48 coins have an estimated value of $ 200,000 to $ 250,000 , said Brisben . Perhaps the most surprising thing about the expedition is that the coins were found just 100 feet from the shoreline , in only six feet of water . Ancient coins could change history of Australia . Though Brisben admits his work is exciting , he says it 's not like you see in the movies . `` You may expect to see a big galleon on its side with treasure chests overflowing , but it 's not like that at all , '' he said . `` With shipwrecks that old , most of the organic material like the actual wood of the ship is gone , due to deterioration . What 's left are mostly metals and pottery ... china , silver buckles , bronze cannons and gold coins . '' The coins will be sold to private collectors and the money raised from the sale will finance further searching of the wreckage site , Brisben said . In 2012 : Shipwreck found on Gulf floor while thousands watched .
Treasure hunters find 11 gold Constantly coins in wreckage of Spanish galleon . The entire fleet of 11 ships was sunk by a hurricane in the date 1697 . The oldest coin bears the date 1697 . The coins have an estimated value of 200,000 .