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Small iron "armada" chest with original key, Spanish or Portuguese, ca. 1650, found in the Bahamas,

Currency:USD Category:Artifacts / Non-wreck Artifacts Start Price:5,000.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,500.00 USD
Small iron  armada  chest with original key, Spanish or Portuguese, ca. 1650, found in the Bahamas,
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This item SOLD at 2012 Oct 26 @ 21:51UTC-4 : AST/EDT
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Small iron "armada" chest with original key, Spanish or Portuguese, ca. 1650, found in the Bahamas, rare size. 49 lb, 17" x 9" x 8". Nothing evokes treasure like a chest, and even though coins and the like were typically transported in simple wooden boxes, castles and manor houses generally had their valuables in strongboxes like this one (called "armada" chests due to their origination in the late 1500s), with false lock in front and functional lock (with original key) on top operating 4 bolts under the lid covered by a stylized plate, lightly green-painted interior, C-shaped handles on either side of the exterior, also with a steel bracket on the bottom attached to the interior with wingnuts (probably added later) to secure the box to the floor. This is the first chest we have seen of this handy size, perfect for holding a small treasure-coin collection on a desktop!