"V" Die Stamp
Physical Object
1986.008.0918
Nuestra Señora de Atocha (1622)
circa 1620
A hand-held, iron stamp from the wreck of the galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha. The flat head was struck with a hammer to drive the hardened steel character into whatever was being marked. This stamp is a “V”. It is thought that this was the mark of the Atocha’s captain and silvermaster, Jacomo de Vreder, who used it used to mark silver ingots loaded onto the ship, denoting that he had registered them. This piece has an overall length of 12.5 centimeters.