LOT #31001 |
Current Bid: $52,500
Brazil: João VI gold Ingot of Mato Grosso 1818 Genuine NGC, ...
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Description
Less Than a Handful in Private Hands
João VI gold Ingot of Mato Grosso 1818 Genuine NGC, Mato
Grosso foundry, Prober-1832-M-188 (this piece). 81x16x6mm.
139.55gm. Assayer IDBF. A substantial survivor, remarkable both for
its weight and historical significance, this gold ingot is among
the few remaining examples of a once-abundant form of wealth. The
overwhelming majority of Brazilian gold bars were melted as newly
mined bullion flowed into the mints during the country's prolific
gold production. The connoisseur of this sub-genre of advanced
numismatics understands how simply having a gold bar as such in
their collection takes it to the next level; but when it comes to a
Mato Grosso bar, and one of these measurements, it's beyond
impressive. The few bars that reach the market every few years
generally contain around an ounce of gold, or roughly 33 grams;
this mammoth piece sits at just over four ounces. The bright but
satin aureus color, seen in nearly-pure gold shines as bright as
the day it was made. All stamps are deeply rendered, including the
Mato Grosso shield itself, which according to Prober is the exact
die used to regulate 8 Reales coins in 1818 for circulation in the
Province. Prober, in his comprehensive work lists all known
Brazilian gold bars, studied this piece in 1940 when it belonged to
renowned businessman Guilherme Guinle, who built the famous
Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro. From the mere twenty
surviving Mato Grosso bars cataloged by Prober, thirteen are in
museum collections across Brazil and Portugal, three were stolen
from the National Historic Museum of Brazil in the infamous 1939
heist (and are believed to have been melted down by the thieves),
leaving only four Mato Grosso possibly in private hands,
considering that Prober's book was published in 1990 and some of
those could have been acquired by museums, such as the Banco
Espirito Santo Collection, which did acquire several bars in the
1990s. First we have the pleasure to handle and only to hit the
auction blocks in the past decades, this is sure to entice the most
advanced collectors of Brazilian types and any trophy hunter.During the early 1800s, gold exploration in Mato Grosso focused primarily on the region's rivers and streams, where miners extracted gold from alluvial deposits using relatively simple washing techniques. Although production had declined from its eighteenth-century peak, the deposits were still enough to sustain the production of these now seldom-seen ingots.
Metal: Gold
Diameter: 16mm
AGW: 4.299oz
Melt Value: $18,704.95
Gold Spot: $4,351/oz (08-15-2026 9:52PM CT)
More information about Brazilian Coins. See also: Brazil World Coin Nationality.
Auction Info
2026 September 1 - 5 ANA World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction #3135 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
September
1st
Tuesday
11:50 am CT
Auction Dates
September
1st-5th
Tuesday-Saturday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
16 Days
8h 23m 35s
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 24
Lot Tracking Activity: 49
Page Views: 667
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
22% of the successful bid (minimum $29) per lot.
This lot is in: 2 -
Signature® Floor Session - The Vila Rica Collection of Brazilian Gold Coins, Part II (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 31001-31233) - 12:00 PM Central Time, Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
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Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions - Dallas
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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