Colombia: temp. Philip IV gold Atocha Shipwreck Recovery Bar of 2274gm ND (1621-1622), ...

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An Uncommonly Large Bar from the Atocha

temp. Philip IV gold Atocha Shipwreck Recovery Bar of 2274gm ND (1621-1622), Marked with fineness XVII (17K) and foundry/assayer SEBAST'N / ESPANOL. Recovered from the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, sunk in 1622 west of Key West, Florida. Decidedly imposing, this shipwreck relic displays precious, shimmering surfaces. Although gold bar fragments and "finger bars" (long ingots) aren't unusual from the Atocha--a wreck which is regarded by most as the largest shipwreck treasure recovered to date--such a heavy and complete piece stands out from the offerings that come to market. Showing traces of coral incrustation and a tiny assayer's "bite" in one corner, this impressive piece is covered with tax stamps and assayer markings across the rough, cast surfaces; a result from the hectic environment where these were made. The dangerous and precarious circumstances of 17th century Colombia (then Nueva Granada) led to a rushed transport of the gold ore to the safety of the nearest Caja Real, where the gold was melted, assayed, cast into bars, but not refined. The fineness of each bar reflects the fineness of the gold deposits (which varied considerably). Alan Craig, based on the work of Robert West, produced a probable decipherment of the SEBAST'N/ ESPANOL markings: since Colombian foundries at this point marked gold bars according to where the ore originated, it is likely that this piece is composed of gold sourced from San Sebastian de Mariquita, a very active gold field at the time, located northwest of Santa Fe de Bogotá. A gold bar of this size required a mature level of infrastructure to be produced; the proximity and resources of the Bogotá mint make it a possible location from which this offering emerged. One thing is for sure: in Havana, this bar was picked by the almiranta of the 1622 Terra Firma Fleet, a galleon called Nuestra Señora de Atocha. Recovered in the 1970's by Mel Fisher, a pop culture legend in shipwreck hunting, the Atocha is one of, if not the most famous Spanish treasures ever recovered from the seas. The wreck provided thousands of silver Cobs, alongside a vast amount of gold artifacts and precious Colombian emeralds. According her official cargo manifest, it carried 35 tons of silver (as 901 ingots and 255,000 coins) plus 161 pieces of gold--a cargo valued at one million pesos. Though much smuggled treasure was also on board, the present offering was not noted in the manifesto, the abundant quinto stamps and markings set it apart from the crude and mostly stamp-lees contraband bars. On top of that, a second SEBAST'N / ESPANOL bar with similar weight was offered by Christies (Lot 96) and confirmed in the original manifesto, leading us to believe both could have belonged to the same merchant who consigned these pieces to be shipped to Europe in the 1622 Fleet. Accompanied by a Treasure Salvors, Inc. photo-certificate #85A-GB077.

Ex. Heritage Auction #3012 (January 2011, Lot 25011); Christies "Atocha Sale" (June 1988, Lot 90)

Metal: Gold
Diameter: 80mm
AGW: 56.79oz
Melt Value: $106,311
Gold Spot: