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Large silver "piña" ingot, 5335 grams, XRF tested at 99% silver, rare, ex-Atocha (1622).

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Coins: Shipwreck Ingots Start Price:17,000.00 USD Estimated At:20,000.00 - 40,000.00 USD
Large silver  piña  ingot, 5335 grams, XRF tested at 99% silver, rare, ex-Atocha (1622).
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Large silver "piña" ingot, 5335 grams, XRF tested at 99% silver, rare, ex-Atocha (1622). 7¼" tall, 3½" to 5½" in diameter, with 2½" cylindrical hole in center. A very small percentage of the silver ingots recovered from the Atocha were in this hollow cone shape known as a "piña" for its resemblance to a cored pineapple, created in a bell-shaped mold with central rod as the final step in the "patio" refining process, invented in Mexico in the mid-1500s by Bartolome de Medina as a method for separating silver from its ore by amalgamation with mercury (quicksilver). Most "piña" ingots were melted down into typically big, rectangular ingots (like the previous two lots) and sent to the mint for coining; but since the mine owners usually needed money right away, some "piñas" were sold directly from the mine, which had to be the case here because neither end shows any markings, specifically fineness and tax stamps. The surfaces are not overly corroded (not rated for Class Factor by Treasure Salvors like the big bars), just a nice even silver color, very eye-catching in shape and an important rarity for the advanced Atocha collector. From the Atocha (1622), with original Fisher plastic tag and photo-certificate 85A-0507-2.