Treasure Hunters Recover 55-Pound Copper Ingot at Legendary 400-Year-Old Wreck

A treasure-hunting crew with Mel Fisher's Shipwreck Expeditions has recovered a massive 55-pound copper ingot from the legendary 17th-century underwater shipwreck of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, off the Florida Keys. The ingot, estimated to be worth $18,000 to $25,000, was found by divers using a metal detector that picked up a faint signal. Captain Drake Nicholas initially mistook the ingot for a cannon due to its rounded shape and bronze-copper coloring. The discovery is part of a trail that the captain believes could lead to more treasure. The Atocha sank in a hurricane off the Florida Keys in 1622, carrying silver, gold, and emeralds. The site still yields new finds decades after Mel Fisher began searching for the Atocha in 1969.