A small gold bar from a historic shipwreck looks set to fetch £30,000.
The three-inch by one-inch Chinese Sycee gold rectangle dates from 1750.
It weighs just 13 ounces.
READ MORE: ‘I picked up the WORST £2.99 Too Good To Go bag – I wouldn’t even feed it to my dog’
- Advertisement -
It is one of 124 similar gold ingots recovered from the Dutch East India Company ship the Geldermalsen which struck a reef and sank in the South China Seas in 1752.
It was carrying a fortune in tea, porcelain, and gold.
Over 230 years later in 1984 divers uncovered what became known as the Nanking cargo giving a glimpse into global trade in the 18th century.
The recovered items were sold at auction in Europe in the 1980s, with Christie’s in Amsterdam handling the sale of many lots.
Now one of the recovered ingots is being resold and it is still in its Christie’s Nanking cargo velvet lined wooden box.
- Advertisement -
Despite being submerged under the sea for over two centuries it is described as being in very good condition.
An assay test on the metal of the ingot indicates a fineness of 868 parts per 1000, as reported by What’s The Jam.
It is being auctioned by Lawrences Auctioneers, Crewkerne, Somerset with an estimate of £20,000 to £30,000.
- Advertisement -
A spokesperson said: “Few pieces of sunken treasure are as exciting as the gold bar from the Geldermalsen.
“These bars are incredibly rare survivors, and to hold one and wonder at its manufacture, history, and journey is quite something.
“It’s not every day you hold a piece of lost treasure in your hand.”
The current highest bid is £18,000.
The auction closes on 21 November.
READ MORE: H&M’s fluffy heels sell out as shoppers go wild for the furry footwear
