Shipwreck Sale: Largest Cluster of Fused Coins+2 Smaller Ones--Lot of 3!
Shipwrecks of merchant or government ships carrying cargo of coins in the 1500's to the 1800's often yield clusters of coins that might as well be welded together. I'm afraid I can't explain the chemistry involved, but the long (often centuries) time in the salt water can fuse the coins together--and very solidly, as if welded together. Stacks can be very large or very small. While I've not owned/sold any so large, I have seen one lying horizontally in a photograph that waas 6 inches long.
This largest one looks like it began life with about as many as 8 coins happily going along singly and by the time divers found the vessel the ocean chemistry had done its job--very solidly. Because of the deterioration as well, it can be quite difficult to determine exactly how many coins became fused.
I've tried to provide several photos because the angle can make the cluster look larer or smaller. But this lot is for the largest available as well as two small clusters.