2. Spanish Gold Bar From A 1550s Shipwreck
It’s impossible to know how many shipwrecks happened throughout history, even over the last 500 years. However, some pieces from these shipwrecks continue to come to light through people who look for the parts. Sometimes these items make it to a local pawn shop, which is the case of a 1554 Spanish Gold Bar.
After the owner of the pawn shop had an expert look at the bar to determine its authenticity, its value went close to $40,000. The owner sold the item for $35,000, but the pawn shop employee soon learned the real value of the gold bar – close to $50,000.