maybe a wedge or oddly shaped cut peice?

[robbietreasurebishop]

I haven't been able to get this authenticated by the couple of places ive gone. its the same answer that it doesn't look like an ingot or a wedge from our previous finds. can someone help me with this. the oxidization is for sure from along ago. its silver tested and proven. it is 1.7 lbs 723 grams. I'm waiting for key west to open back up so I can try my final time for authenticity. what to you guys think. thank you

 

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[nhbenz]

Welcome to TreasureNet Robbie. Your picture(s) didn't come through, yet.

 

[robbietreasurebishop]

 

[huntsman53]

If that is Silver, then it likely made from coins or a Silver Bar that was taken from Spanish shipwreck survivors by Native American Indians, melted and poured into a bowl shaped mold made in the sand. If it was found in the Florida Keys, then it was likely made by the Tequesta Native American Indians or possibly the Calusa Native American Indians. Back in the early 1980's, a friend found half of a somewhat similar disc that originally had a hole in the entire piece to wear around the neck. However, due to it's weight, the Native American Indian that made and wore it, cut it in half. The other half of the piece was never found. Has the round piece with the hole in the center in the first pic been tested? If so and it is Silver, then it is almost identical to the piece my friend found except it was not found in the water and had a somewhat polished look to it.


Frank

 

[Icewing]

Looks more like "hard lead"

 

[robbietreasurebishop]

So in that case there really isn't aa place for me to historically sell this thing? I've been detecting the treasure coast . I found this right after high tide from Maria. Very close to the wedgewreck site. Thank you for your imput.

 

[huntsman53]

So in that case there really isn't aa place for me to historically sell this thing? I've been detecting the treasure coast . I found this right after high tide from Maria. Very close to the wedgewreck site. Thank you for your imput.

I could be wrong in my assessment of the piece you found and I would imagine it is possible that it may have been contraband Silver smuggled onboard Galleons headed back to Spain. When you get a chance, take it to Mel Fisher's Maritime Museum and get their assessment of the piece. Considering where it was found and if it is determined it is a piece of contraband Silver and you can get a letter of authentication, then it could fetch considerably more than the value of the Silver it contains.


Frank

 

[Icewing]

Here is a piece I found a long time ago and honestly I forgot where I found it, other than it was as far from the ocean as possible. There around the red circle you will see where I cleaned a spot in my bench grinder, and the red circle is where I put nitric acid for testing silver. It bubbled a bit and left a black spot.

I had it in my scrap lead pile for a long time, but couldn't melt it like regular lead.
It's heavy like lead (12.6 oz) and has me stumped, I just don't think it's silver.
Maybe someone else can shed some light on the mystery.

 

[robbietreasurebishop]

Thank you so much frank. I will make it down to key west the soon as they open back up. I'm hoping they can identify what it is it would be my first find worth anything. Icewing I did talk to one of the Fisher's from the Sebastian Museum and they said the silver from the Atocha and the wedgewreck tested very funky with the did talk to one of the fishers from the Sebastian museum and they said the silver from the Atoka and the wet wreck tested very funky with the acid test because the metal was never refined. I also went to a Jewlery pawn shop to get it tested my piece and he came back not silver until I did more research I thought it wasn't silver but after I grind it down went to a gold refinery and they tested positive all the way

 

[Blak bart]

The piece with the hole in it looks very much like a rudder zinc. They are placed on the rudder to stop galvonic corrosion. Almost every boat with a rudder made of metal has one. They are usually changed every year. Also the pieces above your clad look very simalar to encrusted cobs or whats called cookies. Taking into consideration that you foud it at the wedge wreck site, then your possibility of it being a silver wedge is much greater. Thats an awsome find if it pans out. Congrats and good luck im hoping its real. If you get to fishers museum in key west ask to see corey malcom he should be able to help.

 

[huntsman53]

Thank you so much frank. I will make it down to key west the soon as they open back up. I'm hoping they can identify what it is it would be my first find worth anything. Icewing I did talk to one of the Fisher's from the Sebastian Museum and they said the silver from the Atocha and the wedgewreck tested very funky with the did talk to one of the fishers from the Sebastian museum and they said the silver from the Atoka and the wet wreck tested very funky with the acid test because the metal was never refined. I also went to a Jewlery pawn shop to get it tested my piece and he came back not silver until I did more research I thought it wasn't silver but after I grind it down went to a gold refinery and they tested positive all the way

From the overall appearance of your' piece and Icewing's piece, it is quite possible that both are half processed pure high grade Silver Ore (possibly only melted enough to burn off some of the impurities and to give them a certain appearance) but who knows for sure. There was really no better way to sneak contraband Silver into Spain to avoid taxes than placing masked Silver Ore with the ballast stones. In any case, your's made it onto one of the ships headed to Spain but Icewing's piece, if it was mined by the Spanish, never made it to a ship as they may have been killed by Native American Indians.


Frank