temp. Charles & Johanna "Tumbaga Shipwreck" silver "Patty" Bar of 36.58 lb ND (c. 1525), García-Barneche-pg. 116, M-156 (this bar). 255x270x45mm. 16592gm. Salvaged from the so-called "Tumbaga" shipwreck (sunk c. 1528 off Grand Bahama Island). Displaying the common Caroline for 1366/2400 fineness alongside 4 other stamps, mostly ineligible, but with a very important one discernible: the MS. This is the scarcest marking of all, seen in just 5 of the 194 Tumbaga bars, and only found in oversized bars weighting between 30 and 36 pounds (while the average weight of the bars is between 5 and 7 pounds). On top of the larger size, the MS-marked bars vary in shape from most pieces, likely made using improvised molds on the ground, possibly using a 16th century shovel since the form resembles such pieces, as mentioned by García-Barneche in his "The "Tumbaga" Saga" book. Researcher Jorge Proctor believes a possible owner of the MS punch mark to be Martínez Salvatierra, who was an overseer for the Governor of Cuba and later traveled to Mexico as part of Pánfilo Narváez's expedition. He served his post of overseer from San Salvador (near Veracruz), but conflicts between Narváez and Cortés would lead to his arrest, a fact that supports the theory of him owning such bars since Cortés' men raided San Salvador. This unique artifact shows traces of copper protruding out of the crudely cast surfaces, a testimony of the makeshift casting and of the little to no refinement of the sacred objects melted down. The present offering is undoubtedly infused with History, a testimony of the Conquest of the Americas, the Aztec wealth and Spain's efforts to rush the spoils to Europe, much sinking in the Caribbean tortuous seas to be re-discovered centuries later. The Tumbaga, a term learnt by Conquistadors in their first expeditions, were low-fineness, gold or silver ornate relics treasured by original American cultures. From idols to jewelry, mortuary masks to ceremonial ornaments, these were the first precious metal spoils looted by the Spaniards during their incursions into the continent. Though a few intricate and lavish pieces were brought back to Spain, most were crudely melted down--some theorizing they used the native's methods of casting--and swiftly shipped to the King. The "Tumbaga wreck", an unknown ship nicknamed after the vast amount of Tumbaga pieces recovered, is perhaps the oldest shipwreck treasure yet unearthed in the New World. It beheld unprecedented finds which filled lacunas and tell tales from the early Spaniards and their treasures. Before the salvaging of the wreck, in the early 1990's, little to no study had been done regarding these early, important pieces. Douglas R. Armstrong was hired by Marex, the salvaging company, to conserve about 200 bars retrieved. Armstrong promptly realized how important the discovery was, and took the opportunity to do a through study of this unprecedented group of bars. An extensive analysis of the stamps and purity of the pieces made possible better understand these archaic Numismatic items from the first European settlers to dare conquer the Americas. We note that the weight listed at the beginning of this description is gross weight (lbs. oz.), not fineness (troy lbs. troy oz.) HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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