Stephen Album Rare Coins
Auction 30 18-20 Jan 2018
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
QING: AV rectangular cast ingot (372.51g), 25mm x 117mm x 9.5mm, undated gold bar circa 1745, weight equal to approximately 10 taels (liang), cast in a flat "Hershey" bar shape without characters on top, having engraved Chinese characters
shi liang (ten taels) at top on back, character shí (ten) engraved on left side, rì engraved on right side, EF, RRRR.
Nearly identical to the bars from the wreck of the Dutch East-Indiaman Geldermalsen. According to Joe Cribb at the British Museum, there were three styles in this treasure: shoe (sycee), rectangular (yuan) - similar to those sold at the Geldermasen auction and the flat "Hershey" bar style (ying). We could find records of only two other of the "Hershey" type ingots selling in public auction, both in Heritage Auctions, one in 2009 and another in 2017.
The VOC East-Indiaman ship Geldermalsen sunk in 1752 with 147 pieces of gold bars and sycee. She was built in 1736 by the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) and in service for the Kamer van Zeeland. She sank on 18 January 1752 on a homeward voyage from China with tea, china, chinese gold bullion and general cargo, was lost on Geldria shoal, South China Sea. 80 hands were lost, 32 survived. The wreck was discovered in 1984 by Mike Hatcher and salvaged and the treasure was sold at Christie's under the 'Nanking cargo' name .
Estimate: 25,000-30,000 USD
shi liang (ten taels) at top on back, character shí (ten) engraved on left side, rì engraved on right side, EF, RRRR.
Nearly identical to the bars from the wreck of the Dutch East-Indiaman Geldermalsen. According to Joe Cribb at the British Museum, there were three styles in this treasure: shoe (sycee), rectangular (yuan) - similar to those sold at the Geldermasen auction and the flat "Hershey" bar style (ying). We could find records of only two other of the "Hershey" type ingots selling in public auction, both in Heritage Auctions, one in 2009 and another in 2017.
The VOC East-Indiaman ship Geldermalsen sunk in 1752 with 147 pieces of gold bars and sycee. She was built in 1736 by the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) and in service for the Kamer van Zeeland. She sank on 18 January 1752 on a homeward voyage from China with tea, china, chinese gold bullion and general cargo, was lost on Geldria shoal, South China Sea. 80 hands were lost, 32 survived. The wreck was discovered in 1984 by Mike Hatcher and salvaged and the treasure was sold at Christie's under the 'Nanking cargo' name .
Estimate: 25,000-30,000 USD