The treasure is estimated at eleven to twelve million guilders, a very large sum compared with Dutch government expenditure at the time. Its purchasing power is considered more informative than a simple conversion into modern currency. About four and a half million guilders covered the expedition's costs, leaving an estimated seven million as profit. Hein's 6,000-guilder reward, equivalent to seventeen additional months of salary, came from those costs. The West India Company paid its shareholders a 50 percent dividend.
Chapter · 39:54-41:57
The silver fleet's value and company dividend
A haul estimated at eleven to twelve million guilders paid the expedition's costs and generated a 50 percent shareholder dividend.