1997.016.0001
Silver Bar
Physical Object
1997.016.0001
Nuestra Señora de Atocha (1622)
This silver ingot was being shipped to Spain by two people – C. Sanchez and P. Morera – on their own account. A stylized “M” and “ZR” are their personal marks. 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 set of smaller Roman numerals read IIUCCCLXXX, showing the silver was 2380 parts pure silver of 2400. The larger Roman numerals IIIUDCLXXVIII (3678) show it was the 3678th produced at that Andean mining center in its year. It also bears two partial shield-style tax stamps and the “V” registry mark of Atocha silvermaster Jacobo de Vreder.