Gold Bar, Worth $500K, Stolen From Key West Museum...

[Donovan]

Oldtown.
There are no replicas in the Key West museum.
As a Time magazine reporter once said, " If this is fake, then it is the most creative use of 47 tons of treasure that anyone has ever seen."

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[Old Town]

Not the museum, the museum store on Duval Street. I know Katy who works there and has for years worked for the family. She told me the big gold articles in the shop windows are fakes for security purposes. Plated lead.

As for the museum, you have no real way to know what is lead and what is gold beyond wishful thinking. Unless, of course, you're an employee. Magazines can say anything.

Old Town - Key West conch and observer of the whole Fisher saga from day one.

 

[Donovan]

Old town
The store on Duval st. is owned by the Fisher family, mostly his grandchildren. They can show and sell whatever they wish.
I am not an employee. I am a member of the board of directors of the museum. which is a 501c3 non profit organization. In other words, it is a separate entity and is held to a higher standard than a shop on Duval St.
I started working for Mel as a photographer and Captain in 1971 and found the first gold on the Atocha back then. The bulk of the photos in National Geographic and other publications are mine.
It is real easy to sit on the side lines and make assumptions. Real knowledge comes from within.
Here is a shot of me with some gold that I found, filmed and helped recover. The sequence of finding and recovery is in the Natl. Geo. film Atocha, Quest for treasure. There are very few authentic film sequences of finding treasure. I was lucky enough to film several. The main thing is you have to be there.
The Time magazine reporter dove on the main pile of Atocha with me and saw it with her own eyes. Then there is the old saying, " Never assume..... "

 

[Old Town]

Donovan. So you are an insider. This makes sense. I understand the difference between the store and the museum. I was only saying such lead replicas are not unknown in your business. Not to defraud but to keep real articles safe. All I'm saying is it would not surprise me if the fabled gold bar in the museum was a similar replica. For now obvious reasons.

But you are an insider with a reputation to keep intact. You're the very last person I'd expect to reveal such a truth of phony items on display. I don't mean to be disrespectful, it's just my nature not to trust anyone in your business too closely. Call me a cynic.

I just wondered if others had thought about this. I only heard it brought up in town conversation and found it plausible and very interesting.

Old Town

 

[capt dom]

Donovan...

Tell everybody how much the stuff you were wearing weighed around your neck!

Another thing about lexan or plexi-glass..... It has a life span of about
20 years. After that it starts to get brittle and easy to break....

The folks who got our 5 pound bar didn't have to worry about that though.....

 

[RON (PA)]

Everyone, including me who has been to the museum has wondered "how can I get that". The Mel Fisher museum is a great place.. I hope they nail them to the wall for stealing the bar.

 

[Old Town]

I happen to love the museum too and think it has done wonders for Key West's rebirth over the last few decades. Had my own grubby hands on the bar pondering a way.

Is there any truth to the old rumor a young boy managed to get it loose one day? I rather doubt it, but I've heard this story so often I still wonder about it.

OT

 

[Donovan]

Old Town,
There is no truth to the story of the little kid. I said that in an earlier post on this subject, which I guess you didn't read.
Hearsay is just another form of rumor. If you are indeed a cynic you should take that into account when you have a conversation with someone on the street.

A cynic seldom finds treasure.

Capt.Dom,
If my memory is correct the pile of chains weighed around 7 lbs. and was 34 feet long.
Here is another shot of it.

 

[capt dom]

Slick!
Thanks for the quick reply.

Here is kind of a fun article about
one of our ingots on the front
page of the Chicago Tribune.

Please note where I am suggestively
holding my big golden ingot!

P.S. That is not or was not my wife then.
holding the other ingot - still with the encrustation
and coins stuck to it. That is Debbie Pawlak
Here is another good photo of her.

 

[Old Town]

Donovan, thanks. I figured it was a tall tale. My cynicism is intact. All along I said I doubted the story. You did not want to acknowledge that. So I had to.

OT

 

[mad4wrecks]

I solved the theft anyway. Catwoman was behind it. She has been breaking into Lexan cases since 1966.



Tom

 

[capt dom]

Barbrara Feldon in the purple...
Best or least dressed..... and perky!

 

[CanadianTrout]

From the newspaper above:

"This is from the 17th century." He told them. "As soon as the State finds out you're in trouble. Better get a lawyer."

LOL Oh man!

 

[capt dom]

I'm glad someone finally got around to reading the article!

I have been also wondering how long it was going to take for

anyone to wonder who may have spirited off with our 5 pound

gold ingot! Oh by the way.... note who was the "somebody"

quoted by the article and Canadian Trout who told us we had better get a lawyer....

was none other than Jim Sinclair then a treasure Salvor's metal presevationist!

 

[mad4wrecks]

Dom, it would be nice to read the rest of that story. Can you post it for everyone?

 

[capt dom]

The story is still unfolding Tom.

This summer we may have had one of the most significant
of finds since the adventure of discovery began at the Jupiter
Historic Shipwreck site.

What makes something "historic"? In many ways "historic" it is
just another word. Every generation gets an opportunity to
reinterpret the historic significance of any event. What gives any situation
or discovery event status is the greater public knowledge and therefore
interest.

The discovery of two 5 pound ingots of gold just off a public
beach certainly can momentarily capture the public's imagination and
attention. But is it unique? Or, does it create a truly historic event?
The short term answer for some may be yes but over the time of a decade
or more, other larger finds like the Columbus / America Project or lately
the Republic it doesn't seem so relevant or important.

This year right before the 4th of July we found what appears to be an
example of an ancient South Florida Glacial Kame Sole Gorget. None have
ever been discovered before in South Florida. Research thus far is suggesting that
only 100 or so examples of these even exist in either private or public collections.
If true this discovery may indeed may meet the criteria of truly being
"historic". Far closer to meeting the criteria for another term, "unique", than a "typical"
gold sand caste ingot. Some of you may think I am rambling, but at least you are thinking...

The State of Florida took one of the gold ingots from our company, Jupiter Wreck Inc
a number of years ago when I was not at its helm. It was originally clearly written in our
original agreement that bullion in itself would not be considered a determination of
uniqueness. Although when these ingots were in our custody - at JWI they were in fact
unique because they had mid-17th century coins encrusted to them. When passed to the
State of Florida, somebody up there made the ridiculous decision to remove
all of the encrustations and thus, the coins that gave the ingots provenance from the ingots
essentially turning them from being meaningful unique artifacts, to just gold bullion.

Now this Gorget still in our custody and care - after further research continues to meet
the criteria of being both rare and unique - it should indeed be donated for public
curation and care. It is my postion as a Director of JWI that the state should consider
returning the gold ingot to JWI, they currently have in their possession that
now is just another gold bar. We have been told that the state has no interest in the monetary
value of artifacts. Their interest is in protecting the public interest concerning the rarity of finds
made in the public domain.

Our shell gorget may appear to qualify for this. JWI has spent countless dollars
over the past two decade, at its own expense continuing to support the exploration
and discovery of this 17th century historic event that has come to
be known as the Jupiter Historic Shipwreck site. This provides the People of Florida to now
have this unique pre-historic gorget. DHR should - in good faith recognize this
and as a gesture of good faith, return the now basic golden ingot that is by no means unique
to its original founders - JWI

Many within the archeological community wish to think that those
of us with a passion for treasure hunting or exploration have little
regard for true historic significance. I think what I am suggesting will
put this to the test.

 

[mad4wrecks]

Thanks for elaborating......but actually, I just meant the rest of the newspaper story. It does say it continues on page 4!

 

[capt dom]

I thought you meant the story of who spirited off our
5 pound gold bar!
The short answer is some well meaning but to some, dastarly public archeologists
who aren't suppose to be interested in non-historically-significant
gold ingots because they may very well have the luxury of not
having to have a profit motive.... But, that does not mean JWI a for profit institution
should not have a profit motive and goal to create a return for its stockholders. Especially
when the expense it and its subcontractors incur create a windfall of knowledge and
significant historic and now pre-historic artifacts as well.

I will dig up the article in our archives and post it.
It was written by a professional writer who I met
while working with Burt Reynolds on the B.L. Stryker
T.V. Series...

On the set I was known as the "bird wrangler"...
but that is another story.....