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Gold "finger" bar #10, 687 grams, 23.5K, believed to be either contraband-, church- or tax-related s

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / World Coins - World Start Price:23,000.00 USD Estimated At:25,000.00 - 35,000.00 USD
Gold  finger  bar #10, 687 grams, 23.5K, believed to be either contraband-, church- or tax-related s
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This item SOLD at 2010 Apr 08 @ 09:16UTC-4 : AST/EDT
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Gold "finger" bar #10, 687 grams, 23.5K, believed to be either contraband-, church- or tax-related since it bears no official stamps. 5-1/4" long, 1" wide, 11/16" deep. In the 25+ years since these bars were found, no one has been able to prove their purpose or answer to why, if they were indeed contraband, they all bear fineness markings (always XXIII: for 23.5K) and hand-engraved serial numbers (149-3 in this case). Also they are all neatly cast and all about the same weight. We feel they had some official reason for being--perhaps they were for the church or the king?--but in any case they are intrinsically valuable and intriguing. This specimen is lustrous and golden yellow in color, with flat topside slightly sunken as usual, stamped by the salvagers with "10A" on the rounded bottom. With Fisher photo-certificate #82A-3959-10. Recovered from: Atocha, sunk in 1622 west of Key West, Florida