On August 18, 2010, a gold bar salvaged from the wreck of a Fifteenth Century Spanish galleon was stolen from the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. While the theft was caught on the museum’s closed circuit television system, the item remains unrecovered and both the museum and its insurers are appealing for information on the object’s current location.
A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the gold bar’s recovery.
The rare, 11-inch-long bar weighs approximately 5 pounds and was identified by treasure hunter Mel Fisher in 1980 amid the underwater remains of the Santa Margarita . This beautiful and iconic piece of cultural heritage bears a unique symbol identifying its original owner and is stamped in Roman numerals denoting its 16K purity.
The bar had been displayed at the museum in a see-through safety box, which afforded visitors an opportunity to both touch and lift the object directly. The thieves broke into the museum shortly after it closed to the public and images of the suspects have now been released.
A video of the suspects is also available on YouTube.
Anyone having any information regarding the bar or the suspects depicted in the photographs should contact the Art Loss Register at +44 207 5782 or email chris.marinello@artloss.com .
