Gold bullion worth over $500,000 has been recovered from a sunken Spanish galleon after being stolen from a Florida museum earlier this week. The thieves entered the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum and stole the gold bar weighing nearly 75 ounces. The gold bar had previously been at the bottom of the ocean for several centuries until treasure hunter ansd salvage expert Mel Fisher, founder of the museum, recoverd the bar in 1980.Museum executive director Melissa Kendrick told Reuters that the incident was a very quiet smash and grab.At the Maritime Museum visitors were able to reach into a case and pick up the gold bar. The men walked into the display room at around 5:10 p.m. when there were no security guards or visitors."Everybody who comes to the museum is encouraged to lift the gold bar and to have a firsthand experience with history," said Melissa Kendrick, the museum's executive director. "This is one of the most iconic and best known objects in the museum."The gold bullion was discovered inside of the wreckage of the Spanish treasure galleon Santa Margarita, which sank near Key West. Along with an accompanying ship, the Atocha, the ships were transporting 250,000 silver coins when both sank during a hurricane in 1622.Kendrick told Reuters that the gold bullion had some unique features such as Roman numerals indicating it was 16-karat gold, and also had a symbol on it that identifying the owner. "It's a one-of-a-kind piece," she added.Even though gold prices have seen an upswing in recent years, gold bullion found on the ocean floor is worth far more than its face value due to its historic interest. At melt-down value, it is worth about $50,000.Kendrick said the museum's insurance company is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the return of the 74.85-ounce bar.One suspect is described as a white male, about six feet tall with dark hair and a medium build, the Key West Police reported. The second suspect is about five feet, six inches tall."The security systems worked because we knew the bar was stolen within 10 minutes, and we have usable video and photos for law enforcement," Kendrick said. "The museum made a decision to designate this as a handling object, allowing people to touch the artifact, and this was part of the risk involved in granting public access."
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