For centuries shipwrecks and the historical artifacts they entomb have been lying on the ocean floor awaiting discovery. Dreams of finding sunken treasure have fueled the hunt for decades, but only in the last 20 years has technology made deep sea recovery economically feasible. While some treasure has literally washed up on the beach, most wreck recovery is time consuming and costly. Locating the wreck may take years. Once located, the wreck is mapped and measured. The location of each item is meticulously recorded prior to bringing it to the surface. Every item recovered from a wreck must be conserved, and catalogued prior to its sale. Collecting shipwreck artifacts is especially intriguing, for their story is so much more complex as a result of their fate, and eventual recovery.