NETHERLANDS. Silver VOC Ingot, ND (ca. Early to Mid-1700's). VERY FINE.
1827.33 gms. Recovered from the shipwreck of the Dutch East India Company ship "Bredenhof", which wrecked in the Mozambique channel 6 June 1753. Bold "Z/VOC/M" stamp, though missing a portion of the upper right arms and most of the "Z" above, as for the square stamp most of the face is missing leaving only the boarder. The With certificate of authenticity. Moderate to heavy corrosion. The Bredenhof is unlike many treasure shipwreck finds as this ship, though lost at sea, actually ran aground on a reef about 120 miles south of Mozambique and about 13 miles from the Cape of Good Hope. Once Captain Jan Nielsen realized what had happened he ordered all of the silver bars and other precious cargo to be thrown overboard so that it couldn't be plundered. There was an exception where captain Nielsen kept a chest containing about 5000 gold ducats and brought it with him when they abandoned the ship. The remaining survivors eventually made it to Mozambique where some were able to make their way back to the Netherlands the following year via Brazil and Lisbon.
From the wreck of the "Bredenhof".
Estimate: $900.00- $1200.00