aboard sunken vessel Nuestra Senora de Atocha (1622), plancha or ingot of pure copper, bound with salvor tag reading "ATOCHA/5448 I986/TSI", without original certificate, 53 lbs. gross weight, approximately 9-1/2 x 14 x 2-1/2 in.

Note: Five hundred and eighty two copper ingots were loaded onto the Atocha at the port of Havana, the ship's final stop in the Indies before setting course for Spain. The copper originated from the mine at Caridad del Cobre in the southeast of Cuba. This mine was owned by the Spanish crown and the workers were slaves of African origin. When the ore was refined, the copper was cast into crude ingots and shipped to Havana. Only three ships in the fleet carried copper ingots, Atocha, Rosario, and Santa Margarita, all ending in the same fate.

This specimen returned digital XRF results that show over 98% copper composition with trace amounts of other metals, including gold.

encrustation and irregular surfaces, as typically encountered