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Rare and important silver ingot (square), 926 grams, marked with fineness IIUCL (2150/2400) and BEXA

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Shipwreck Ingots Start Price:4,000.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Rare and important silver ingot (square), 926 grams, marked with fineness IIUCL (2150/2400) and BEXA
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This item SOLD at 2017 May 03 @ 13:39UTC-4 : AST/EDT
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Rare and important silver ingot (square), 926 grams, marked with fineness IIUCL (2150/2400) and BEXARo (assayer Bejarano) and "1 4", from the Maravillas (1656), ex-Christie's. 3-1/2" x 3-1/4" x 5/8". After the appearance of this piece's "sister ingot" in our Auction #13 (lot #403), which sold for $16,000 plus buyer's fee, research by Jorge Proctor and Herman Blanton demonstrated that these odd ingots were made in Cartagena, Colombia, from melted-down Potosi cobs recalled due to debasement scandal, as proven by assayer-marks on the ingots, specifically the BEXARo on this piece, referring to Francisco Martinez Bejarano, documented as Chief Assayer of Cartagena from 1644 to 1652. The unusually square shape of this ingot qualifies it as a "plancha" (as noted in documents), and there is some evidence that pieces like this were intended to be legal, circulating substitutes for debased coins. Darkly toned, with clear markings and patches of white and greenish-white coral here and there (especially on the bottom). From the Maravillas (1656) and pedigreed to the Christie's (New York) auction of May 1992 (lot #121).