Florida-based treasure hunting, deep-sea exploration firm Odyssey Marine Exploration is back in court this morning at 9:30 a.m. (ET) with Spain. The legal battle over 17-tons of silver and gold Colonial-era coins continues in U.S. Federal court before Magistrate Judge Mark A. Pizzo.

The coin treasure trove was recovered by Odyssey in May of 2007, and resulting legal disputes with Spain over ownership have resulted since.

Court fillings reveal that the conclusive identity of the sunken ship site, Odyssey code-named the “Black Swan,” could not yet be made. But they also suggest a possible linkage to Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes y las Animas, a Spanish vessel that sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1804.

Since, Spain’s attorney Jim Goold has went as far as stating Odyssey’s recovery of the treasure was “immoral and illegal,” and provided an analogy of someone taking personal effects from the pockets of those who died in the U.S.S Arizona at Pearl Harbor — essentially grave-robbing the honored dead.

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The name of a 17th-century shipwreck bearing 17 tons of silver and gold coins discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration may finally be known. News accounts have reported the estimated value of the treasure trove at around $500 million. Whether true or not, the potential value drew immediate attention and a resulting legal battle between Odyssey and Spain.

Magistrate Judge Mark A. Pizzo issued a ruling yesterday denying an Odyssey motion to protect the identity of the shipwreck.

Resulting court fillings revealed that the conclusive identity of the sunken ship Odyssey code-named the "Black Swan" could not yet be made, but they also suggest a possible linkage to Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes y las Animas, a Spanish vessel that sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1804.

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