Traces of gold
Scientific analysis of a sample of the ingots recovered from the Intan wreck demonstrated they were composed of high grade silver with traces of gold, copper, and lead. The substantial silver deposits found in China, plus the deciphered information from the inscription, indicates that the ingots found on the Intan wreck had been exported from China. The ingots could have been used as payment for goods or taxes. Flecker suggests they were “destined to form Javanese silver coins, silver being absent from the island’s mineral resources.”