Brazil: João VI gold Ingot of Mato Grosso 1818 AU, ...
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João VI gold Ingot of Mato Grosso 1818 AU, Mato Grosso foundry, Prober-1832-M-188 (this piece). 81x16x6mm. 139.55gm. Assayer IDBF. A substantial survivor, remarkable both for its weight and historical significance, this gold ingot is among the few remaining examples of a once-abundant form of wealth. The overwhelming majority of Brazilian gold bars were melted as newly mined bullion flowed into the mints during the country's prolific gold production. The connoisseur of this sub-genre of advanced numismatics understands how simply having a gold bar as such in their collection takes it to the next level; but when it comes to a Mato Grosso bar, and one of these measurements, it's beyond impressive. The few bars that reach the market every few years generally contain around an ounce of gold, or roughly 33 grams; this mammoth piece sits at just over four ounces. The bright but satin aureus color, seen in nearly-pure gold shines as bright as the day it was made. All stamps are deeply rendered, including the Mato Grosso shield itself, which according to Prober is the exact die used to regulate 8 Reales coins in 1818 for circulation in the Province. Prober, in his comprehensive work lists all known Brazilian gold bars, studied this piece in 1940 when it belonged to renowned businessman Guilherme Guinle, who built the famous Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro. From the mere twenty surviving Mato Grosso bars cataloged by Prober, thirteen are in museum collections across Brazil and Portugal, three were stolen from the National Historic Museum of Brazil in the infamous 1939 heist (and are believed to have been melted down by the thieves), leaving only four Mato Grosso possibly in private hands, considering that Prober's book was published in 1990 and some of those could have been acquired by museums, such as the Banco Espirito Santo Collection, which did acquire several bars in the 1990s. First we have the pleasure to handle and only to hit the auction blocks in ...
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