there is a similar strategy for catching monkey’s that is practiced in southeast asia.
there is a way, but it involves extremely strong and longish fingers. The right person can grab a support it on end with finger tips and extract it legthwise from the box. there’s video of someone doing it with a similar set up and succeeding.
That bar is 3x+ the weight of the bar at Fisher’s, except Mel’s probably was worth more because of its provenance (wreck of the Atocha) than its gold content.