1986.008.1498
Silver Bar
Physical Object
1986.008.1498
Santa Margarita (1622)
This ingot was being shipped to Spain by Gaspar de Rojas for Francisco Gutierrez. The ingot bears the Roman numeral CCCXLIIII (344) and a Potosí mintmark with the date 1622, indicating it was the 344th silver bar produced at that Andean mining center that year. A large “Rx,” the personal mark of Gaspar de Rojas, is prominent on the surface; the “C” might be that of Gutierrez. A central “scoop” on the face of the ingot is a characteristic of ingots produced at Potosí. The scoop was made by the assayer when he sampled the silver to determine the ingot’s purity. A smaller set of Roman numerals reads IIUCCCLXXX, or 2380, indicating the silver was found to be 2380 parts of pure silver out of 2400. Rojas shipped 100 silver ingots on Santa Margarita and another 11 on Atocha.