'Black Swan' is the biggest shipwreck treasure ever -- or is it?

Deep-sea treasure hunters said Friday they have recovered what could be a record haul of gold and silver coins from a colonial-era shipwreck -- but their failure to provide many details has set off a galleon-sized controversy over their claims...

"There is no such thing as $500 million on any wreck in the world," said Robert Marx, a veteran treasure hunter. "Anybody who says so is...lying."

George Bass, an archaeologist at Texas A&M University who specializes in shipwrecks, said... "Very often, it's exaggerated because of course they need to get financial backers," he said...

A spokesperson for [Odyssey Marine Exploration] stressed that because it is publicly traded, it can not distort the value of its discovery. "If we were to inflate the value of a find like that, we would be in serious trouble" said Laura Barton, vice president of communications.

Since September, the company has filed a series of motions in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida for a summary judgment giving it the rights to an "unidentified, shipwrecked vessel."

Related Links

Odyssey's 'Black Swan' press release

Hoard of treasure 'found on wreck off Cornwall' -- may be the 'Merchant Royal,' sunk 1641 (Telegraph)

Treacherous seas, a mystery wreck (Guardian)