Bronze Seal from Atocha Found

The Atocha site proved, once again, that we are on the right trail.  Captain Andy and the Magruder crew went out on Friday and were able to dive a couple of days before they moved to Emerald City. In those two days they found two EOs (encrusted objects), two silver coins and an extraordinary artifact – a bronze seal in exceptional condition. 

The oval-shaped seal was found about 200 yards south of where we found the 9-carat emerald ring in July, 2011. This seal is a very important piece since it was found right along the same line as the gold rosary, the gold bar, and the beautiful emerald ring. There is a crest on it which may identify the owner and could possibly confirm that this is also the owner of the emerald ring.  It is another clue towards uncovering one of the many mysteries of the Atocha.

Captain Andy described the seal to us over the radio: “It is about one inch wide and 2 inches tall, with an intricate design around the outside edges.  There are two four-legged animals that look like llamas standing next to each other and a tropical tree, possibly a palm tree.  Other parts of the design include 3 arrows pointing upwards and a thick line similar to the icon on the silver coins that represents Austria.  This is a fabulous find, in great condition!” Matroci added.

Seals like this one were typically used to stamp their identifying mark into hot wax on a letter or official document.