Silver Bar

Accession Number1987.021.0002

VesselNuestra Señora de Atocha (1622)

DescriptionA central “scoop” on the face of the ingot is a characteristic of ingots produced at Potosí. It was made by the assayer when he sampled the silver to determine the ingot’s purity. Another set of smaller Roman numerals read IIUCCCLXXX, showing the silver was 2380 parts pure silver of 2400, affirmed by the adjoining mark of an assayer named Mexia. This silver ingot bears the Roman numeral DCCCCXI (911), meaning it was the 911^th silver bar produced at that Andean mining center in its year. The face is marked with five shield-style tax stamps and a large “A.” The A indicates the ingot was part of the crown’s annual one-fifth share of the silver from Potosí. It was one of 133 such “A” bars on Atocha. The purpose of the “H” style mark in one corner of the face is unknown.