LOT #24058 |
Current Bid: $32,000
Bolivia: Philip IV silver "Atocha" Ingot of 76 troy lb 9.60 troy oz (912.6 oz) ND (1621-1622),...
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Description
Instantly Recognizable Atocha Bar
Philip IV silver "Atocha" Ingot of 76 troy lb 9.60 troy oz
(912.6 oz) ND (1621-1622), Marked with fineness IIUCCCL
(2350/2400, 97.91% fine), Class: 0.80, manifest number: "A" series,
Page 7, tax stamps and owner/shipper marks, assayer's bite on
center, three Quinto stamps and the obscure "A" stamp toward the
left, indicative of a mysterious series of Atocha bars that all
apparently lack owner/shipper marks. Marked A911/85 on bottom,
which stands for the 1985 "mother load" find of the wreck.
355x128x90mm. Salvaged from the "Nuestra Señora de Atocha" (sunk in
1622 off Key West, Florida). An iconic relic from perhaps the most
famous shipwreck treasure. The Atocha bars come in various shapes
and sizes, the present offering amongst the largest ones Such bars
had stamps added during its odyssey's across Colonial America to
their final destination: Spain, to their lawful owners. An always
disputed artifact when offered at auction and one which is sure to
entice its next owner and who else gets the chance to carry such
hefty piece of history.Sold with Treasure Salvors photo-certificate 85A-S911
The Nuestra Señora de Atocha was the Admiral Galleon of the Tierra Firme Fleet, a twenty-eight-ship fleet carrying an unprecedented amount of treasure from the Americas. Sailing from Havana bound to Spain on the 4th of September 1622, the armada was hit by a massive hurricane in the Florida Keys, most of the fleet being decimated and the treasure sinking to the Atlantic seabed. The Spanish efforts to retrieve the precious cargo weren't fruitful, which led to the scattering of the vast amount of treasure across the Florida coast with subsequent hurricanes. The original manifesto of the Atocha was impressive: 24 tons of silver in 1038 ingots, 180,000 Pesos in silver coins, 582 copper ingots, 125 gold bars and discs, 1,200 pounds of worked silverware and other goods; and that's only what was officially transported, since smuggling treasure to avoid taxes was very common in the period, with some estimating that a large percentage of the total cargo was in contraband. In 1969, treasure hunter Mel Fisher began a long-lasting, 16-year quest to locate the treasure. Over the years, isolated coins and artifacts were found scattered across Florida's "treasure coast", many given to investors who funded the operation. In 1973 three silver bars were found and matched to the original 17th century manifesto, leading the crew closer to the main wreck site. By 1980 a significant part of the Santa Margarita had been located, counting with gold bars, silver coins and jewelry. On July 20th, 1985, the motherlode was located, when divers found a "reef of bars". The main pile of the Atocha provided countless artifacts which quickly became immersed in Florida's pop culture and would later become perhaps the world's most famous shipwreck treasure in history.
From the Salvager Collection
Metal: Silver
ASW: 921.6oz
Melt Value: $45,158.40
Silver Spot: $49/oz (11-03-2025 5:52AM CT)
View all of [The Salvager Collection ]
Auction Info
2025 November 11 Spotlight: Shipwreck & Treasure featuring the Salvager Collection World Coins Showcase Auction #61563 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
November
11th
Tuesday
6:50 pm CT
Auction Dates
November
11th
Tuesday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
7 Days
20h 17m 28s
Internet/Mail Bids: 35
Lot Tracking Activity: 70
Page Views: 720
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid (minimum $29) per lot.
This lot is in: 1 -
World & Ancient Coins Session
(Lots 24001-24321) - 7:00 PM Central Time, Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
[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.]
Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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