Silver “Tumbaga wreck,” sunk ca. 1528 off Grand Bahama Island
208. Silver “tumbaga” bar #M-70, 10.39 lb (av.), marked with fineness iUiiiioL (1450/2400 = 60.4%), S, YoBI3, iNo/ DeBCA (rare), and two tax stamps, plated in The “Tumbaga” Saga, from the “Tumbaga wreck” (ca. 1528). 11-1/2" x 41/2" x 3/4". Of the approximately 200 “tumbaga” silver bars found, less than a dozen have this iNo/DeBCA sigla (possibly a monogram for
Juan de Becerra, an encomendero who arrived in Mexico in 1526), which appears twice on this specimen (each occurrence showing complementary parts of the whole monogram). The S to the immediate left of the fineness is curiously linked to the gold bars from the same find. To the right of that appears YoBI3, which occurs on only 9 bars and most likely represents the name Juan Ibañes, a blacksmith who worked for Cortés in the mid-1520s (see page 63 of “Tumbaga” Saga for explanation). Only 7 bars have all three of the mysterious marks YoB13, S and iNo/DeBCA, making this a premium piece of significant value in unraveling the mysteries behind these bars. It is also one of the more tidy and attractive bars, with natural flow-lines on top and pebbly texture on bottom (no bad corrosion), nicely toned, with bias-cut assayer’s “bite” in one corner, and of desirably medium size. From the “Tumbaga wreck” (ca. 1528), accompanied by the book Tumbaga Silver for Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, by Douglas R. Armstrong (1993, original spiral-bound edition) and the book The “Tumbaga” Saga, by Agustin Garcia-Barneche (2010, autographed, with a photo of this bar on page 100), and pedigreed to the Bowers & Merena “Treasures of the World” auction of June, 2002. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000.
“Golden Fleece wreck,” sunk ca. 1550 in the Northern Caribbean 209. Small, flat, oval silver “splash” ingot, 434 grams, with two crowned-C tax stamps, from the “Golden Fleece wreck” (ca. 1550). Approx. 5-3/4" x 4". A very thin and colorful ingot (lots of copper toning on top) with two distinct tax stamps near either end, several small “drip blobs” and one large one with coral encrustation, typically corroded and harshly cleaned but of the perfect size for a display with Charles-Joanna coins from this wreck. From the “Golden Fleece wreck” (ca. 1550), and pedigreed to our Auction #8. Estimate: $600-$900.
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