Page 65 - Treasure, World & U.S. Coin Auction 17

Shipwreck Ingots

Note: photos not actual size (reduced or enlarged to show details)

Gold

Unidentified early 1500s wreck in the Caribbean

244. Gold “oro corriente” cut piece with stamp “C” (Charles I of Spain), 42.68 grams,
from an unidentified early 1500s wreck in the Caribbean. Approx. 1-1/2” x 1” x 3/16”. The top-
side of this piece is littered with markings, from a faint, circular, dotted-border tax stamp to a large C
within a box (toned for good contrast) for Charles, but the bottom is unmarked and rough, with half of
the curved edge smooth (outside edge) and the other half very sharply cut (two cuts at a right angle to
each other), popular as used in place of struck gold coins in the early colonies and among the first ever
offered from this new source. (Interestingly, the C marking on this piece matches some similar cut gold
pieces from the ca.-1528 “Tumbaga wreck” in the Bahamas.) From an unidentified early 1500s wreck in
the Caribbean. Estimate: $3,500-$5,000.
245. Gold “oro corriente” cut piece with stamp “F” (Ferdinand V of Spain), 15.43 grams,
from an unidentified early 1500s wreck in the Caribbean. Approx. 3/4” x 9/16” x 7/32”. Crudely
rectangular piece with one long side somewhat rounded (outside edge) but other long side sharply cut,
as is also one of the short sides but the other short side is broken off, with one marking on top showing a
Gothic F for Ferdinand in a box (toned around edge), the bottom of the whole piece rough and unmarked,
rare and popular as used in place of struck gold coins in the early colonies and among the first ever offered
from this new source. From an unidentified early 1500s wreck in the Caribbean. Estimate: $1,750-$2,500.

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