Treasure Hunters Discover Massive Copper Ingot at 17th-Century Shipwreck

Divers with Mel Fisher’s Shipwreck Expeditions have recovered a 55-pound copper ingot from the legendary 17th-century shipwreck of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, located approximately 35 miles west of Key West in the Florida Keys.

The Spanish treasure galleon sank during a hurricane in 1622 while en route to Spain, carrying a valuable cargo of silver, gold, and emeralds. The Atocha site has been a focus of treasure hunting since Mel Fisher began his search in 1969. His company eventually secured rights to the treasure after a legal battle and discovered the main cargo deposit, known as the “Mother Lode,” in 1985. The site continues to yield discoveries decades later.

Captain Drake Nicholas of the salvage vessel DARE located the copper ingot after his metal detector registered a faint signal while he was following a trail of coins. The ingot, heavily encrusted with marine growth from over 400 years underwater, is estimated to be worth between $18,000 and $25,000.

Nicholas initially mistook the large, rounded object for a cannon but quickly identified it as a copper ingot. He noted that copper was a highly prized commodity in the 17th century, essential for the production of bronze cannons used by the Spanish Empire. "I believe that only certain people could actually own copper because it was making such strong cannons," Nicholas stated. "It wasn’t something [that] an everyday guy could have a stockpile of — it was more for the king and queen to make cannons."

The ingots were produced by pouring molten copper into holes dug in the sand, resulting in crude bars with impurities. "They were very crude, not many markings on them, a lot of impurities in them, but it was copper being sent over to Spain for bronze cannons," Nicholas explained.

Nicholas expressed optimism that recent discoveries, including the copper ingot, indicate the crew may be close to uncovering a larger concentration of the shipwreck's remaining treasure. He attributes this confidence to new technology that allows them to detect targets deeper within the dense mud covering the wreck site. "We’ve never really [gotten] to penetrate that mud with a metal detector to get down and find, you know, the rest of the silver bars, copper ingots and coins," he said. Nicholas is currently pursuing 19 high-value targets and is confident that deeper exploration will lead to significant findings.