zilveren baar van de Rooswijk 

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Note: This silver bar had been on a Dutch East India Company ship "Rooswijk" that sank in a storm in the English Channel in 1739. These silver bars had been mined in Mexico that at that time was rules by Spain. Initially it had been carried by Spanish vessels from Mexico to Cadiz, later the silver sold to the Dutch and shipped to Holland, where it had been melted down and converted into silver bars bearing the mark of the Amsterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Co. and the assayers or Foundry mark depicting a goat, which relation to an specific name is still unknown. The re-stamped treasure was then loaded onto the Rooswijk, bound for Batavia.

These bars were made of other bars and silver coins and paradoxically would have been remelted down to produce coinage if the vessel had not sunk. In conclusion the uniqueness of this "transitory" form of silver bullion is highly appreciated by collectors around the world.

This Genuine Silver Ingot comes with 2 Certificates of Authenticity one issued by R. E. Bryson (Deputy Project Administrator) and the other Certificate is issued by Historic Real Treasures. In addition you will get a letter about all the transitional type of coins minted in 1733. A package that you won't find anywhere else!

 The Dutch East India Company, known as the "Floating Republic", was perhaps the World’s most powerful corporation in the 17th century. It had received its articles of incorporation on March 20th, 1602 as the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC in short, literally " the United East Indies Company" It was initially granted a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia. That 21 year charter was continued and renewed for almost two centuries, until it finally went bankrupt and was dissolved in 1798. By the end of the 16th century Dutch merchants had acquired large amounts of capital from their successful European trade, and were looking for new investment opportunities. The highly profitable sea trade routes between Europe and Asia had been established and dominated by the Portuguese, but in 1594 a group of Dutch merchants decided to try and circumvent the monopoly. They outfitted a small four-ship expedition to Asia, a dangerous and ultimately unsuccessful enterprise, while failing to bring a profit showed the Portuguese trade monopoly could be broken. In the following years an increasing number of new fleets were sent out by competing merchant groups from all around the Netherlands. Some fleets perished, but others were wildly successful. At the time, it was customary for a company to be set up only for the duration of a single voyage, and to be liquidated right after the return of the fleet. As the competition between companies intensified, the profitability of the new trade was threatened, but consolidation was not possible as the merchants of different provinces were unwilling to cooperate. In 1602 the Dutch government forced the issue, sponsoring the creation of a single "United East Indies Company" that was granted monopoly over the Asian trade. The VOC traded throughout Asia. Ships coming into Batavia from the Netherlands carried silver from Spanish mines in Peru and supplies for VOC settlements in Asia. Silver, combined with copper from Japan, was used to trade with India and China for textiles. These products, such as cotton, silk and ceramics, were either traded within Asia for the coveted spices or brought back to Europe. The VOC was also instrumental in introducing European ideas and technology to Asia. The Company supported Christian missionaries and traded modern technology with China and Japan.

The Rooswijk: During late December 1739 the Rooswijk, one of the retour ships of the Dutch East India Company was ready for its second long journey to the Indies. Accountants and officials of the company supervised the loading of 30 chests of silver coins minted primarily in Mexico. Each pine chest was wrapped in canvas, tied with rope, and sealed in red wax with the personal seal of the captain. The journey was ill fated from the beginning, and the Rooswijk struck the treacherous Goodwin Sands off the South East coast of England in a heavy storm. The weather that winter was so bad that the wreck site was unapproachable and the remains of the Rooswijk lay covered in many feet of sand for another 265 years. In December 2005, it was made public that between May and September of that year a team led by Rex Cowan had recovered some of the ship and its contents. This was done in secrecy to avoid attracting looters. Lying at a depth of about 24 m, the Rooswijk was discovered by an amateur diver in 2004. The numismatic Treasures recovered from the Rooswijk Shipwreck offer a rare opportunity to better study and understand coinage of this period. What makes this shipwreck and discovery so unique is that the coins that were recovered are from a transitional period in the history of the Mexico City Mint. In the early 1730's, the introduction of new minting equipment lead to the gradual phasing out of older coining methods, numerous different coinage types and varieties came together. In 1733 the mint produced more different types and varieties of 8 Reales than in any other single year. Four major different types of these were: cobs, cobs struck with "Klippe" dies, Klippes and the Milled "Pillar Dollar". 1733 marked the end of the "Cob" coinage production. One remarkable detail about the Spanish Colonial coinage is that 8 Reales or "pillar dollars", minted in Mexico City, circulated in The United States of America as legal tender until 1857.

Ship: The Rooswijk 1739
Type: Amsterdam Mint Silver Ingot
Details: Total weight 4LB 54 Oz.
Measurements: 6 x 11/2 x 11/4 inches
Reign: Philip V - Date: Circa 1739.

Mint: Amsterdam - Assayer: Is unknown, Foundry mark: Goat in shield and Mark of Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC (Dutch East India Company) . The VOC consisted of six Chambers (Kamers) in port cities: Amsterdam, Delft, Rotterdam, Enkhuizen, Middelburg and Hoorn. Delegates of these chambers convened as the Heeren XVII (the Lords Seventeen)

Code: RJ07-3-785 - Extremely fine condition and deep dark markings.

US $6.195,00, (EUR 4.493,04), juli 2007, ebay, shipwreckcoins
wpe5.jpg (15103 bytes) Zilveren Baar. VOC. Instempeling A(msterdam) / VOC/ wapen met klimmende bok. Uit het VOC. schip ”Rooswijk” gezonken voor de Engelse kust, op de Goodwin Sands in 1739. 1,965 Kg.

Prachtig. euro 4.600, excl 20% opgeld, april 2010, Schulman lot 246 .
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In terms of markings, the Rooswijk bars are easy to decipher, but there is one mystery. At the top of the bar a large A announces the VOC Chamber (province) that issued the bar, in this case, Amsterdam. Immediately below the A we have the logo of the Dutch East Company, an interlocking set of three letters, VOC, standing for the Vereenigde OostIndische Compagnie. Next comes the unexplained item. In a small intaglio cartouche we see a rampant billygoat (geitebok) springing across a grassy plain. By Dutch law a silver ingot had to marked by the party responsible for refining it, so this must be the assayer's mark, although no Dutch assayer of the period owns up to the title of "Miijheer Willem Geitebok." Ongoing research by Dr .

Arent Pol in the Netherlands may shortly disclose who "Mr Billy Goat" was.

The dimensions of the bar are approximately 6.5" x 1.5" x 1.25".

Currently for sale at $3675 (euro 2758)

terravitan@aol.com or 480-595-1293
wpe223.jpg (13621 bytes) Neatly formed silver bar from the Rooswijk (1739), 1967 grams (63.25 oz. troy), marked with A (Amsterdam) and VOC (Dutch East India Co.) and billy goat (assayer/foundry mark). About 6-1/4" x 1-1/2" x 1-1/4". Very tidy and clean ingot with very bold markings, one end typically cut (to fine-tune the weight) and with deep depression inside which some orange encrustation now resides, the perfect preservation of the ingot due to the fact that it was neatly cast and tightly packed into a chest that remained intact. From the Rooswijk (1739), with certificate and tag #RK05AS0335.

SOLD 2,900.00USD to windward163 + (522.00) buyer's premium + taxes, fees, etc... at 2009 Oct 16  (ca euro 2566)
wpe224.jpg (10782 bytes) Neatly formed silver bar from the Rooswijk (1739), 1957 grams (62.93 oz. troy), marked with A (Amsterdam) and VOC (Dutch East India Co.) and billy goat (assayer/foundry mark). About 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 1-1/4". Very tidy and clean ingot with very bold markings, one end typically cut (to fine-tune the weight) and with deep but narrow depression now containing a modicum of orange encrustation, the perfect preservation of the ingot due to the fact that it was neatly cast and tightly packed into a chest that remained intact. From the Rooswijk (1739), with certificate and tag #RK04A0547.

SOLD 2,900.00USD to brodsr + (522.00) buyer's premium + taxes, fees, etc... at 2009 Oct 16  (ca euro 2566)
wpe332.jpg (21434 bytes) Zilveren Baar VOC. Instempeling A(msterdam) VOC wapen met klimmende bok. Certificaat RK04A0371. 1.963 kg. Uit het VOC. schip ‘Rooswijk’ gezonken voor de Engelse kust, op de Goodwin Sands in 1739.

Schulman, lot 352, 1 dec. 2012, euro 2.500 excl. 20% opgeld
Zilveren Baar / Silver Bar. VOC merk met de hoofdletter A erboven. (Kamer van Amsterdam). Daaronder wapenschild met klimmende bok naar links. (Teken van de essayeur)./ VOC Logo under the capital letter A.(Chamber of Amsterdam). Under the logo crest rearing buck. (mark of Essayeur). Zeer fraai +. 2500,‒ Uit het VOC-schip Rooswijk, gezonken voor de Engelse kust op de Goodwin sands in 1739 / From the VOC ship Rooswijk, sunk before the English coast on the Goodwin sands in 1739.

Schulman b.v., nov. 2017, lot 251, euro 2880