December 2013 Featured Treasure

December’s Treasure of the Month are two unmarked contraband “wedge” ingots. These two ingots are part of eight slices of an entire “cake” of contraband ingots that were smuggled in the bottom of a cask (so the story goes). Each one, now dark and uncleaned (gunmetal gray in color) has it’s weight marked on the bottom in black ink. Each one is slightly different in exact weight, shape, and texture, and hence we know they were cast separately. The wedge on the left is 813.3 g, roughly 2 1/2″ in in diameter (extrapolated) and about 2″ tall. The wedge on the right is 782.8 g and about the same size as its companion to the left.