This small receipt is 4.25 x 3.5” printed on buff colored paper with black ink. Deposited by Biggs and Co. 3 oz, 11 dwt at $16.25 per oz. Total $57.62. “U.S. Tax” .29 cents. Signed by A. Delano. Very Fine. $300. Sold
Business card sized receipt. Deposited by Elam Biggs. 10 oz, 11 dwt at $20.00 per oz. Total $211. Signed by A. Delano. Handwritten on the reverse “Chlorine (?) No. 7 Chlorine, Bar 10.11.0 @ $20 = $211.00 May 12 1872” Very Fine. $600.
Business card sized receipt. Deposited by Elam Biggs. 7 oz, 11 dwt at $20.00 per oz. Total $151. Signed by A. Delano. Handwritten on the reverse “Chlorine (?) No. 5 Chlorine, 7.11.0 @ $20 = $151.00 Feb 6 18732” Very Fine. $600.
Business card sized receipt. Deposited by A. K. Cowger. 33 oz, 1 dwt “pwts”. Assayed $550.00. Reverse is printed in duplicate format of the front. Findley was a gold dust buyer in Grass Valley, California who wisely chose not to compete long term with Delano, the most successful Grass Valley Gold Rush banker. His Business was short lived and his cards are Extremely Rare. This card may be Unique. Very Fine. $600. Sold
In this letter Charles Dobbler writes to a friend named Slade about having just left the Kearsarge Mining Region in Inyo County. "I got out alright you bet. The new superintendent, J.D. Winters tried to use me as a tool . . . I was mining for about six weeks in a place called Cerro Gordo . . . It was a good thing that I left". The letter discusses mining at Benton and a future trip to Virginia City. Extremely Fine. $300. Sold
Offered here is an Extremely Rare original Wells Fargo Reward Poster for the theft of two bullion bars from the Wells Fargo Express office at Benton, in Mono County, California. The robbery occurred September 16, 1878. The two bars were the product of the Indian Queen Mining and Milling Company (see below) and weighed nearly 1600 oz each. Both bars were stamped with the name of the mining company and William Adams, the Assayer. A $300 Reward was offered by J.J. Valentine, General Superintendent. Reward posters for stolen bullion are Extremely Rare and this may be the only poster in private hands from the eastern California mining regions. Very Fine. $10,500.
The Indian Queen Mining Company was located on the border of Esmeralda Co., NV and Mono Co., CA. It was a silver and gold producer for a little less than ten years. The closest mining camp was Benton, still present as a ghost town today. This stock certificate is for the same company that had the two bullion bars robbed from Wells Fargo, as noted above in the reward poster from this catalog. This is possibly the only known certificate from the Indian Queen. The 1888 Report of the State Mineralogist of California states that the bullion from Benton, CA totaled $1.5 million dollars between 1862 and 1871, and $2.85 million dollars from 1871 to 1881. It further states, specifically, that the Indian Queen Mine shipped $500,000 worth of bullion through the Benton Wells Fargo office prior to 1882. Morey (1881) states the Indian Queen produced $80,900 in 1879 and $85,150 in 1880, and the biggest year of production came in 1882. However, all production ceased in 1883. The Indian Queen Mine had a mill located about twelve miles northeast of Benton; which had eight stamps and four pans with a White & Howell furnace
Stock certificate for Indian Queen Mining and Milling Company. Incorporated in 1880 and issued in 1882 to Samuel D. Shepard for 120 shares. Signed by Washington Warren as President and M. Dyer, Jr. as Treasurer. This certificate has a large vignette of an Indian maiden at upper left. This certificate is uncancelled and printed on yellow paper with a dateline from Jersey City, N.J. Very Fine. $1,400. Sold
Beautiful four photograph collage panorama of Bodie taken about 1906 by an unknown photographer. The panorama is not formally assembled and came to us in raw form and excellent condition. Each of the prints are about 7 x 11”, rendering the final product about 40” long. The streets are quiet with little or no public activity, perhaps because the photograph was taken at day’s first light, judging from the bright low sun angle. The mines and mills are all shown in the background. No photograph. $2,500. Sold
Potbelly stove named “Bodie” because of the popularity of the town and designed for use in small “Bodie-style” miners’ cabins of the gold rush era. Bodie is located on the eastern slope of the Sierra’s in northern California, and due to the high elevation, has hard, severe winters. During its boom in the late 1870’s, the population climbed to nearly ten thousand. Today Bodie is a National Historic Site and popular ghost town. $2,000.
Bodie Bluff Consolidated Mining Co. incorporated in 1863. This is a sheet of three unissued certificates and is believed to be the only uncut sheet left intact in existence. Leland Stanford, President, signed all certificates. Stanford was an important western financier, President of CPRR and Govenor of California from 1861 to 1863, and U.S. Senator from 1885 to1893. He was also a member of the 1856 Vigilance Committee. This was the first consolidation of mines at Bodie. In 1878 big bonanzas were discovered at Bodie. These certificates are each 5 x 10”, and the sheet is 17 x 10” with a black border on yellow under print. There is a vignette of Bodie, showing eleven labeled lodes and their strike lengths. Another vignette on the left shows a cornucopia of coins. There is pale red under print of $1,110,000 with a lady on each side. Extremely Fine. $5,000.
No.14077 Stock certificate issued for 100 shares belonging to G.W. Serrious Jr. Signed W.P. Millana. This rare stock certificate is one of only three or four known to us. The Bodie Consolidated was one of several exceptionally successful gold mining companies at Bodie. As an example in 1883 the company was the second highest dividend payer at $1.295 million (the Standard Consolidated was the largest ($4.35 million). The certificate has five assessment stamps on the back dated 1888 to 1891, indicating the company was not in a profitable mode at that time. This certificate is graded Extremely Fine and has been encapsulated by the Professional Grading Company Pass-Co. $900. Sold
Cert. #2032. Issued to G.B. Bayley, Trustee in 1880 for 100 shares. Signed by T.E. Jewell as vice president and by F.E. Lutz, secretary. No vignette but fancy decorations in left corners. Printed by Britton & Rey, San Francisco. Uncancelled. “Location Bodie District, Mono Co., Cal.” Printed at bottom. Datelined San Francisco. 4 ¼ x 10.” The mine was not profitable in 1880 when the stock was issued, was marginally profitable through 1885. Rare. There are folds, some slight soiling and creases. $900.
No.4802 Stock certificate for 100 shares belonging to James Rolph, Trustee, Signed by T.E. Jewell, Vice President. This certificate is fairly common with at least twenty pieces known, still not nearly enough to satisfy all the Bodie collectors. The Con-Pacific was incorporated in 1876 as one of Bodie's first mining companies. On the reverse are six assessments dated 1887 to1892 indicating the company was not successful after the certificate was purchased. Very Fine plus. $225.
No.192 Stock certificate for 5000 shares belonging to F.M. Luce TR. Printed by Britton & Rey, San Francisco. The Queen Bee Mining Company was located on the eastern slope of Bodie Peak according to Burchard 1880. At the time it had a 400 foot shaft with a few thousand feet of underground workings. It is thought to have had limited production. This certificate has one assessment stamp from 1880 on the reverse and has a tiny chip at the upper left hand corner. This is one of the rare Bodie certificates with perhaps three or four known, possibly R8. Extremely Fine. $600. Sold
This standard, small sized cover has a printed corner advertiser from the Standard Consolidated Mining Company at Bodie, Cal. The Standard Consolidated Mining Company, the largest and most successful mining company in Bodie, sent this cover to a patent agent in New York City in 1890. The agent could not be found as indicated by numerous stamps on the reverse and a special post office adhesive "Letter Returned" stamp. On the front is a fancy rubber stamp in the shape of a hand with a finger pointing to the return address that says "Returned to writer. Cannot be found". Very Fine. $250.
This is a group of approximately 22 letters, plus the Bodie Miners’ Union minutes, all handwritten from 1892. The correspondence is in regards to dispensation, Miners’ Union meetings, financial reporting, membership, etc. Poor condtion. $450.
This lot contains two handwritten letters regarding the Jackson & Lakeview Mining Co., datelined Lundy, Cal. Very Rare. Poor condition. $175. Sold
This handwritten note to A. Soderling is in regards to a fee of $5.00. It may be a receipt, or a bill. A. Soderling was a long time Bodie assayer for which ingots are known. This Rare piece is in Poor condition, but all writing is legible. $150.
In thirty-five years of mining and twenty-five years with an Americana Company, few opportunities such as this have ever arisen. We offer the complete mining camp ghost towns of Cerro Gordo and Swansea, complete with mineral and water rights at both locations. This is far more than just one of the most historic mining camps in all of southern California. It is a mineral resource untapped in modern times that comes with the most precious commodity, water rights. The only mining camp ghost town that was of a similar nature was Bodie. But by the time the mineral rights were exercised for exploration, the Cain family had donated the townsite to the State for a park, and mining the vast riches of Bodie’s gold and silver ores ended when the State purchased the ground and minerals from a major mining company.
The Cerro Gordo package includes approximately five hundred patented acres (more than thirty patents of private fee land) surrounded by 48 unpatented valid and live mining claims. The townsite has 24,000 square feet of buildings remaining, including the incredibly historic hotel, the Belshaw bunkhouse, hoist house, superintendants house, about 22 buildings in all. Held by the same family for decades, the site has been extremely well protected from diggers, artifact looters and Mother Nature herself. Restoration has been undertaken on most of the buildings, and the rest are in a state of protected arrested decay.
The site is historic as the first major mining camp south of the Sierra Nevada. Discovered by prospectors in the 1850’s and documented in several journals of the period, Cerro Gordo rose to prominence in the early 1860’s when rich silver-lead ores were discovered, mined and delivered into the Los Angeles market. Prudence Beaudry, Mortimer Belshaw and others built smelters and an intricate water system capable of treating the difficult Cerro Gordo ores. Ingots and ore were shipped down the mountainside to Swansea, which at the time was on the edge of Owens Lake until Los Angeles drained the water out of the valley just after 1910. The site turned into a major mining district in itself.
The Cerro Gordo property was evaluated in modern times by three major mining companies, including Coure D’Alene, Phelps Dodge, Asamera and others. Their work was done during 1984-1992. Shortly afterwards gold and silver prices were unsteady and falling through the floor, finally landing at about $300 per ounce gold and about $3 per ounce silver. These companies drilled at least 32,000 feet, defining a rough reserve of 400,000 ounces of gold and 2.4 million ounces of silver, and a resource of more than a million ounces over the entire property. As such, it is today one of the best exploration and development targets remaining in the western United States. It has everything going for it – it is out of sight, has 400,000 ounces drill indicated, it is on patented land surrounded by unpatented mining claims with clear title, and has water - something few, if any, can boast in the southern California desert.
We welcome your questions on this unique offering. The property is for sale. The price, terms and specifications of the sale are and can be variable to suit the prospective buyer. If you are looking for a choice, high quality gold/silver exploration opportunity, this is your baby. If you are after one of the best ghost towns in the American West, this is your only chance. We welcome your calls for an appointment to view the data and discuss details. This is one of the best property and historic offerings this company has ever had the pleasure to offer. No photograph. POR
Possibly Unique, $20 scrip, unissued, printed by the Coso Mining News. There are green under print vignettes of cattle, and a large “20.00”. The Defiance was the largest and most important mine at Darwin. At one point in the 1870’s through the early 1900’s the company was so large and having so many employees that separate small employee bunk houses were constructed all over the hillside, below the mine, and in the upper part of Darwin. This note is so rare that is was unknown to most of Inyo County collectors until now. The mine was probably discovered in the 1860’s, during the activity at Coso and Cerro Gordo about 1863. By 1875 the mine was the largest producing mine in Darwin with major mining and milling works. It is most likely from this period around 1875 that this scrip was issued. Uncirculated. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. $8,500.
Possibly Unique, 25 cent scrip note, medium size, printed on rag paper with thin backing attached. Stamped in blue ink “Registered Jan 4 1876” on right side. Payable at the company's office in Darwin, Inyo County, Cal. A four page story of the company's activity in 1875 can be found in Raymond's Statistics of Mine and Mining . . . 1877, pages 25 to 29. In summary, the company owned the Lucky Jim Mine and the Christmas Gift Mine in Darwin. At the end of 1875 they were considering a major expansion, as was the Defiance. Of curious note is that the company contracted to deliver a hundred thousand bushels of coal from Owens Lake to the furnace at the mine for 25 cents per bushel, and the mining company had to return the sacks. There is a chance this scrip note was used for coal or could simply have been good for 25 cents in goods at the company's store in Darwin. The ore of the Christmas Gift Mine, in December, averaged $258 per ton. The mine produced 1,800 bars of bullion in December 1875 alone. There is a good possibility that this note and the two Surprise Valley notes from Panamint were collected and saved by the same person, perhaps a miner who worked in both locations. This note is in Good condition, but discolored with a pinhole at top center, and some tearing at edges with heavy creasing. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. $5,000.
Engraved document signed by California Governor Lowe, appointing Alfred Morton as Major in the 7th Infantry Regiment of the California Volunteers. Morton was a veteran of a number of Indian battles in the west, perhaps most importantly, he was one of the men involved in the battles along the Owens River mining region in the early 1860’s. He was also in another attack at Big Pine Creek and yet another at Keyesville. Morton was born in Maine and was first appointed to the California Volunteers as a Sergeant in Company F in September 1861. He rose through the ranks and remained in service through 1898. He was also U.S. Army Provost Marshall at San Francisco, California from Feb 1865 to March 1866. The document is beautifully engraved, contains an adhesive gold seal of the State of California, and is signed by Redding as Secretary of State and George Evans, the ADJ. General. The piece is nicely framed with a window in the back where Morton signed the piece himself in 1864. Approximately 20” x 24”. Extremely Fine. No photograph. $1,500. Sold
The first item is a letter dated Oct. 20, 1893 on printed Reward Gold Mining Company letterhead from the San Francisco office to Fred Searles in Nevada City. Searles was an important western mining engineer active at Grass Valley's Empire mine and later worked with the beginnings of the Newmont Mining Company. The second item is a report of the Board of Directors dated May 1894 on company stationary. The third item is a cover, which has a printed corner from the company's San Francisco office. Reward was a mining camp between Lone Pine and Keeler at the foot of the mountains on the east side of the Owens Valley. It was most active in the late 1880's through the turn of the century when near surface gold/silver/copper ores petered out. The town died off quickly and most of the buildings were moved to Keeler. By the 1950's nothing was left but shards of purple glass. In the 1980's a company drove a long drift exploring for a faulted-off continuation of the Reward ore zone. The effort was unsuccessful. A number of rare bottles were found at the ghost town by collectors in the 1960's. Generally Very Fine. Three items $395. Sold
Rare Two Dollar scrip note, large in size. Printed on bond paper, with “Two Dollars” printed in the center and a vignette of two Indians with bows and arrows at the left side. Signed by W.A.M. McFarland. Good condition with some creasing, discoloration and three corners with tape from previous mounting. There is a small notation on the reverse in pencil that reads, “Gift from Goodwin. San Francisco 3/27”. This scrip is believed by the author to be R8, with perhaps two or three known. The Ivanpah District was active from the 1860’s. The district’s location was so remote that is was rarely reported. The Ivanpah Consolidated may have been most active in the late 1870’s. By 1880 it had changed hands and was purchased by J.S. Alley. Ivanpah is located 190 miles northeast of San Bernardino and very close to the Nevada state line. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. $7,500.
No.26 Stock certificate issued for 1000 shares belonging to J.P. Batuman and signed by Wm. S. Chapman, President. Uncancelled and lithographed by G.T. Brown & Co. Datelined San Francisco. Incorporated Feb. 1876. This company is difficult to research because of the problems with the U.S. Mineral Commissioner's office, headed by Ross Raymond who quit about this time period. It took the government two years to publish Raymond's 1875 annual report. The Inyo Mining Company's property was one of the early incorporations at Panamint. They owned the Wyoming and some of the other better producing mines. This is the only certificate from this company that we have seen in thirty years of business. It may be Unique. Very Fine. $1,500. Sold
Possibly Unique 25 cent scrip note, medium in size. Printed on rag paper with “Twenty-Five Cents” in center. Payable “At their office in Panamint, Inyo Co., Cal by check for U.S. Gold Coin, or San Francisco, or in merchandise at their store in Panamint.” (See the description for the next lot) Nothing written on the reverse but there are four hinge marks from adherence in a scrap book. Note is in Good condition but slightly soiled with tattered edges. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. $7,500.
Possibly Unique 50 cent scrip note, of medium size. Printed on rag paper with “50 Cents” in large green under print in center, which is similar to the postage currency counters. Payable “At their office in Panamint, Inyo Co., Cal by check for U.S. Gold Coin, or San Francisco, or in merchandise at their store in Panamint”. The Panamint District was discovered in the 1860’s and took off about 1875, when Mackay and Fair of Comstock fame bought important mines in the district believing the region was the “next Comstock”. After sinking much money into their venture and extracting large amounts of silver bullion, the ore was faulted off. Unable to quickly find the faulted extension, Mackay and Fair chose to sell their holdings to a group headed by Ulysses S. Grant, Jr, who shortly afterwards heavily promoted the district. In 1875, the approximate date these two notes were issued, the Surprise Valley Mill and Water Company at Panamint operated a 20 stamp, 25 tons per day, mill fed by ores from the Wyoming and Hemlock Mines. The two mines were located high above Panamint City and ores were transported to the mill on a Halide wire tram. Average value of the ores was $80 to $100 in silver per ton. [Ref: Raymond 1877, page 24] Nothing written on the reverse of this note but there are four hinge marks from adherence in a scrap book. Note is soiled and discolored with tattered edges. Otherwise in Good condition. The author had the great pleasure of examining these mines in the late 1970’s. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. $7,500.
Daily report to Yreka Office: Ingots, coin, gold dust, exchanges, checks etc. On this day the Jacksonville office had $730 in gold coin and $13 in gold dust. Jacksonville was a placer mining community, on the Tuolumne River in Tuolumne County discovered in 1849, but it did not last much past the 1850's. Very Fine. $3,000.
The St. George Winery was founded in 1879 by German, George H. Malter, the Postmaster. It was immensely successful throughout the 19th Century but its fortunes declined in the first decades of the 20th Century and Prohibition led to its closure. It was re-opened after repeal, bought in 1942 by L.N. Renault & Sons, and is still in operation today. Today the community is known as Sunnyside but it was also known as Granz.
Unissued Five Dollar Due Bill printed by Maltermoro with a vignette of St. George and the Dragon on the front and a vignette of St. George Vineyard and distillery on the reverse. This may be the only California wine related scrip, and as such is highly desirable. This bill is an R8 in Extremely Fine condition with light discoloration on edges and top right corner is chipped. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. $3,500.
Unissued Five Dollar Due Bill printed by Maltermoro with a vignette of St. George and the Dragon on the front and a vignette of St. George Vineyard and distillery on the reverse. This bill is an R8 in Extremely Fine condition with light discoloration on edges. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. $3,500.
No.42 Stock certificate for 600 shares belonging to O.J. Brant, signed by Harry Chandler as President. We believe that Harry Chandler is the grandfather of Los Angeles Times owner, Otis Chandler, who trained Fred Holabird, the author of this catalog in the shot put at Cal Tech while he was in high school. This has a wonderful green under print vignette of a cowboy with a lasso and a cow. Cowboy related stock certificates are Extremely Rare and this is the only one we have seen from southern California. Very Fine. $350.
No.11 Stock certificate printed by Geo. H. Baker in San Francisco. There is a vignette of a butterfly and wildflowers in the lower left-hand corner. Certificate issued for 50 shares belonging to John D. Hudgin and signed by J.S. Mirgan, President. Mariposa County is bordered on the north by Tuolumne, on the south by Fresno and on the west by Merced, and extends from the edge of the San Joaquin Valley to the summit of the Sierra range. This county possessed many quartz veins outside the Mariposa grant. Two of the mines, which operated with regularity prior to 1874, were Hite's Cove and the Washington. Martin & Walling was incorporated February 25th, 1874 but in 1875 little was done in the Coulterville portion of Mariposa County and many valuable mines in this district stopped operation awaiting litigation due to bad management. The Martin & Walling Company was one but resumed operation in early 1876. [Ref: Statistics of Mines and Mining, Raymond 1874, 1875 & 1876] Encapsulated by Pass-Co and graded Very Fine. R8, Nearly Unique. There are possibly only two or three known. $400. Sold
By Fred N. Holabird
Introduction
The story of Harvey Harris and Desiree Marchand is one of a good, solid partnership that lasted through the tumultuous gold rush years. The partnership was responsible for many of the gold ingots found at the wreck site of the treasure ship S.S. Central America, which sank in 1857 carrying $3 million in gold.
Harvey Harris was born in Denmark in 1814. In the late 1840’s, he was working for the US Branch Mint in New Orleans. It is difficult to ascertain how long he worked there, or in what capacity, since no records of employees from that period have yet been located. Harvey married his wife Augusta about 1848, and they conceived and had their first two children in New Orleans. Both had the same disease as their father. Edward, born 1849, and Ernest, born 1850, followed in their father’s footsteps and became assayers. The couple had three more children, one of which was born on the trip to California in 1852 somewhere off the coast of South America, or while in port in Valparaiso.
Harris may have been one of the many US Mint employees highly recruited by the private assaying firms near the onset of the gold rush when coinage was so badly needed in California. With numerous private coiners producing millions of dollars in gold coinage in the absence of a US Branch Mint in the West, Harris’ skills as a melter and refiner were in great demand.
Harris in California
Kellogg & Humbert (Company) were probably his first employers in California. They were one of the two largest assay firms in California and needed highly skilled personnel. This is the company Harris cited later in advertisements as among his experience. He probably went to work for the US Branch Mint in San Francisco when it opened in 1854, but only stayed briefly, no more than a year.
In 1855 he opened his own assay firm in Sacramento with Desiree Marchand from Paris. How the two met is a story yet to be told, but the partnership was solid. They had a third partner, C. L. Farrington, a Wells Fargo employee. The Sacramento location was pivotal to the business, because it was centrally located in the foothill gold belt region, and was an obvious stopping point between San Francisco and the mines. It allowed the miners, merchants and bankers a closer place to process their bullion, and Harris & Marchand scored well as a result. Within a year, using the same business model, the pair opened another assay office in Marysville, calling it the “Pioneer Assay Office.” At Marysville, Harris was perfectly located to receive the greater portion of gold coming directly out of the rich Sierra and Butte County mines, which included such places as Rattlesnake Bar, later named Laporte, where the Blue Lead, a tertiary (fossil) gravel channel produced tens of millions of dollars in gold.
Harris Investigates Nevada
The two businesses were so successful that the pair opened an office in San Francisco in 1859. Late that year, the firm may have received bullion for assay that was completely different, silver-gold bullion from the Comstock. As the next year or two worn on, discoveries were made at Aurora and later Unionville, deep in the Nevada interior. By mid 1861 the firm must have received many bullion bars for assay, and Harris, sensing another mining rush, was off to investigate. By this time he had moved his home to Marysville. Using the same business model that had worked so well for the pair, he set up the first assay office in Carson City, the third of his “Pioneer Assay Offices.”[9] It was the geographic focal point for the entire Nevada silver rush. Aurora was south, less than 100 miles. The Comstock was north about twelve miles, and the Humboldt region (Unionville) was farther north more than 100 miles. Each of these were served by Langley’s Express. Second on his list was Aurora (1861), and an office in Unionville was short lived because it was simply too remote and did not have enough bullion production to warrant a permanent office.
In a recent discovery, one of Harris’s original bullion assay receipts from Aurora shows that Harris hired an assayer to run and manage that office in 1861, which confirms that he never lived there.
Harris was becoming fixated on the Comstock, so he sold his interest in the California operations to his partner Marchand; which helped finance the Nevada operations, and which later became known as “Harris & Co.” The Carson City office might have been the geographic center of the Nevada mining community, but it was not the economic center. The real business, Harris learned, was to be in the middle of the action on the Comstock. In 1862, he rented out part of his Carson City Assay Office, at one time offering the upstairs floor to Orion Clemens, Sam Clemens’ brother and future Secretary of Nevada Territory. [10]
Gold Hill. The Final Stop
By 1862 Harris opened two more assay offices, one at Silver City and another at Gold Hill. He used the same favored name he used in Marysville, “Pioneer Assay Office,” for each of the lower Comstock assay offices.[11] He and his family moved to Gold Hill that year. The Gold Hill business was a success from the start, but sensing a need to focus, Harris eventually sold off or closed the Silver City Assay Office.[12]
Harris was an astute and excellent businessman. He had the ability to see the big picture – to understand business cycles, demand, and from this knowledge spot holes that could be filled. Gold Hill was just such a hole in the assay business. Silver production on the Comstock the first two years was a relative unknown except to those who were there. Some high grade was sent to San Francisco in canvas bags on the backs of burros, mules and horses for processing. Some was sent overseas to Wales. Other ores were processed at one of more than one hundred small mills that were known as “custom mills” because they would process anyone’s ore for a fee, and were not built for a specific mine. The game was for a mill to get a contract for a good producing mine. The other game was to get it right, and extract the gold and silver economically and properly, not an easy task. At least one mill got caught skimming gold. Most of the bullion was coming from Virginia City mines, which were considered the “gut of the Comstock.” But the Comstock Ledge, as it was called, was in reality a wide, long ore zone that stretched from just north of Virginia City south to Silver City, a distance of more than five miles. It bifurcated (“horse-tailed,” in old timers terms) around Gold Hill, splitting into several parts. The big action in Virginia City attracted the first of the assayers. That left a big opening in Gold Hill, and Harris was the man to fill it.
While a manuscript archive of Harris’ business does not exist, it is an easy guess how he got started there, based on his business history. Harris would have gone after the bullion assay contracts for the largest producing mines. This would have included the Crown Point, discovered by George Hearst and the source of his second fortune, the Central, the Plato and Eclipse, etc. all of whom were among the early producers in 1862. Then something special happened. In 1863 the Gould & Curry bonanza was discovered in Virginia City, causing an explosion in mining and exploration. From it came the mighty Yellow Jacket at the north end of Gold Hill, which made a fortune for the Bank of California and William Sharon. Business was so good for Harris that he pulled in his horns elsewhere and concentrated on the Gold Hill office. Business was booming and there was no need to split his efforts.
About this time, Harris must have made friends and favor of William Sharon, the Bank of California’s representative on the Comstock. This man wielded tremendous power in the business world of the Comstock, as the Bank of California ventured into new areas of bank finance by lending money to mines and any business aspect of mining. Failure to pay resulted in complete forfeiture, and the Bank took over or closed many mines and related businesses, including Harris competitor and Gold Hill assayer Conrad Wiegand.
Harris and his family loved Gold Hill and remained there. Harris was very popular with locals, and was known as a punster by Gold Hill News Editor Alf Doten, whose Journals cited one instance: “A pun riddled comment on the appointment of Old Man Harris, rheumatic Gold Hill punster, as vice-council to Denmark – ‘the worst that can be said of Harris is that he has harassed his friends – if he were dying in a garret, his last rheumatic remark would be: This is a room-attic arrangement.”[13] The Harris and Doten families were close, often visiting. Doten always referred to Harris as “old man Harris.” There are numerous entries in the Doten Journals of these visits.[14]
Harris’ two sons also became assayers. They worked for their father, and Edward was the chief assistant. Ernest worked in Dayton for a while in the early 1870’s with his own assay business, and the two eventually ran an assay office together in Carson City about 1879 or 1880.
Harvey Harris died in February 1894. The times were different then, with the western mining camps and society in general in a serious recession. Newspapers suffered from a lack of advertising, and no detailed biography was ever published on Harris after his death. He was buried in Carson City.
After their father’s death, Edward went to work as a miner near Reno about 1900. His brother and mother may not have survived.
The Harris Silver Ingot
This Harris ingot came From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. It is the most impressive of any of the Harris silver ingots from the Gold Hill period. It is a Territorial piece, dated August 1864, and carries the city and territorial designation and is one of the few ingots surviving that do so. It was presented to Mrs. Jane Jackson from M. W. Irvin. It does not appear to have an IRS bullion punch, perhaps because it is from the territorial period, and as such, was not subject to the Federal Tax. More research is necessary.
M. W. Irvin was a resident of Gold Hill and participated in the 1862 Territorial Census, when he was 52 years old. He later was listed in the 1862 Territorial Directory as being in the mining business working out of Olney’s mining office (promoters). The identity of Mrs. Jane Jackson will remain unknown for now. The only possibility at the present time is that there was one, and only one, Jane Jackson in Nevada for the 1870 Census. She was an African American housekeeper living in Carson City and born about 1820 in New York, who was not present for the 1862 Territorial census.[15]
There are only a handful of legitimate Harris ingots known today. This ingot was struck in an identical manner to the gold Harris Marchand ingots of the 1850’s, with the “seeing eye” at the center. As such, it is an excellent partner to any of the Harris Marchand gold ingots. It has the usual assay chips taken from opposing sides, with typical Comstock fineness, .083 gold and .905 fine silver.
Photo Courtesy of Stack’s, Lot 3518, John J. Ford, Jr. Collection Part XX & XXI, October 2007 Sale.
No. 2685 The face reads: “No.2685. / H.HARRIS / H. HARRIS / ASSAYER around an all-seeing eye [his assayer's stamp] / GOLDHILL. N.T. / 12.12.OZ. / $34.97” and the back reads: “AUGT. 1864” with the 6 punched over the 4. The top reads: “M.W. IRVIN”, the bottom is blank, the left side reads: “GOLD 083 FINE / SILVER 905 FINE” and the right reads: “MRS. JANE JACKSON”. The ingot measures: 67.3 x 44.8 x 12.0 mm and weighs: 12.20 oz. Very Fine. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. $65,000. Sold
Photo Courtesy of Stack’s, Lot 3519, John J. Ford, Jr. Collection Part XX & XXI, October 2007 Sale.
No. 6226 This is a rougher looking ingot with an unfinished appearance that measures approximately 1 x 1.75 x .5” and weighs 185.8 grams. The face reads: No. 6226 / HARRIS / ASSAYER [Harris’s assayer’s stamp] / 5.95 OZ / FINE [printed vertically along the right edge] The back is blank with a cooling depression that has been smoothed down. The top reads: S. / W. / G. The bottom reads: I. Shaw. The left side reads: G$ 2.40. The right side reads: S$ 7.50.
The reason I love these ingots is that so many of them are related. The business of assaying incorporated so much of the mining business, and in the final study, it becomes so much easier to understand the movement of assayers, financiers, and gold rush banking systems. This wonderful ingot was one of at least two different ingots presented from Simon W. Glazier, hence the “S.W.G.” on one side. Glazier was a client of Harris’ in Marysville. The second ingot of his was a gold ingot in the Bass Collection sold last year. Glazier was a mine financier and manager. I. Shaw was a young man probably working in Marysville or thereabouts in the mid 1860’s. He was born in 1842, and by 1880 had moved north to Tehama, where he was a farmer. There is also a bullion receipt and related correspondence form Glazier in the Marysville Section of this catalog.
This ingot is probably from Harris’s Marysville office c 1861-2. My reasonings for this evaluation are that A) Simon Glazier was a known client out of Marysville and B) There is no IRS bullion tax stamp on the ingot, which means it must pre-date June 1863. After Harris moved to Gold Hill he probably punched the town name into the ingot.
Fine to Very Fine. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. $45,000.
No. 21237 Memorandum of Gold Deposited by Bankers, Decker, Jewett, and Paxton of Marysville. This receipt measure 10 1/2 x 4 1/2” and was printed on crème or buff colored paper in a reddish-brown ink by Agnew & Deffenback, Printers, 125 Sansome Street, S.F. Apparently as this receipt was being printed and drying another, with wet ink, came in contact with it resulting in some of the print from the second receipt being transposed in reverse onto this one . . . making for a interesting and unusual printing error of sorts.
Amalgam weighing 62.84 oz was deposited, after melting it weighed just 60.49 oz. Which indicates that a combination of nearly two and a half ounces of mercury and slag was removed during the melt. The gold had a fineness of .921 with a value per ounce calculated to be $19.03.88. The full value the assayed deposit is written as $1,151.67 before any deductions for clippings and other charges leaving a net of $1,124.38. Downieville Banker and gold buyer W.H. Ladd & Co.’s name appears in pencil at the bottom of the receipt with a commission of 1% that is also written out as $11.35. The name of O. Biglow is also written in pencil across the receipt on the left side and the word “Entered” beneath it. The rarity of H. Harris & Co. assay receipts also showing the names of Harris & Marchand rates as Extremely Rare with perhaps only three or four known such as this one. This receipt was signed by H. Harris for D. Marchand. It has the usual “pocket folds” common to virtually all assay receipts, and a 1/8” hole almost dead center, however the overall condition is deemed to be Very Fine. The names of Harris and Marchand are well known to ingot collectors because of the beautiful gold ingots they rendered in their assay offices, some of which were recovered from the wreck site of the S.S. Central America, which sank while loaded to the gunnels with gold coins and assayer’s ingots off the east coast of the United States during a hurricane in 1857. Very Fine, R8. $4,500.
No. 22499 Memorandum of Gold Deposited by Decker, Jewett, and Paxton of Marysville. The physical description and condition of this lot is about the same as for Lot 83. Assay results for amalgam weighing 92.35 oz before melting, 90.55 oz after melting, and having a fineness of .927. The net value after all fees and costs was $1,691.48. Signed H. Harris for D. Marchand. Very Fine, R8. $3,500.
No. 26045 Memorandum of Gold Deposited by Decker, Jewett, and Paxton of Marysville. This receipt has the same physical and condition descriptions as that of the two preceding lots. Assay results for amalgam weighing 44.24 oz before melting, 43.38 oz after melting, and having a fineness of .913. The net value after all fees and costs was $799.15. Signed H. Harris for D. Marchand. Very Fine, R8. No photograph. $3,500. Sold
This is a printed letterhead for Harris & Company's assay office in Marysville dated August 1862. The interesting thing about the letterhead aside from the fact that it may be Unique is that it lists five different offices; San Francisco, Sacramento, Marysville, Esmeralda and Aurora City. The letter is signed by M.D. Howell, who probably ran the Marysville office while Harris was managing one of the other offices or off exploring possibilities in the newly developed Nevada territory. Shortly after this date Harris moved his office to the Comstock to take advantage of that huge mining boom. There are numerous folds with wear along the folds on the reverse where the letter was kept in a wallet or other compartment; Very Good to Fine condition. $3,500.
No. 34401 Memorandum of Gold Deposited by J. Glazier & Co. This Harris receipt is very similar to those in described in earlier lots, but it does not have “Late Harris & Marchand” printed on it - other wise is it a near duplicate to those. This assay receipt is for amalgam weighing 14.27 oz before melting, 13.00 oz after melting, and having a fineness of only .751. The gold value was $201.81 less costs and netted $198.51. Later dated H. Harris & Company bullion receipts from Marysville that do not show the company as a successor to Harris & Marchand are slightly less desirable to some collectors, though perhaps equally as rare. This particular receipt deposited by Glazier & Co. is important because of a tie to a Simon Glazier gold ingot now in a private collection. Signed H. Harris for D. Marchand. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. Very Fine, R8. $3,500.
No. 6161 Memorandum of Gold Bullion Deposited in the Assay Office of Theall & Co., Marysville, dated January 3, 1863, by J Glazier. Measuring 11 5/8 x 4 3/8” it was printed in light blue ink on crème colored paper. Weight before melting 12.20 oz, after melting 10.73 oz, fineness .726, value per oz $15.0077, full value $161.03 - less “Clippings .80 cents and Fees $2,” Net $159.83. There is a hand written note on the left side: “Contains 71/100 base metal – Free from it the fineness would be .781.” The receipt has the ever-present “pocket folds”, normal foxing and staining. Very Rare.
The second item included in this lot is a short note addressed to Alex M. Hayden, Wells Fargo Agent in Sacramento, from Crockett in the Marysville office, discussing Isaac and Simon Glazier, noting that only one of them is in Marysville, and the other in Virginia City, but due to return soon. Letter is dated Sept. 27, 1863. Simon W. Glazier is the mining man whose gold ingot we sold in the Bass Collection, marked “SWG”. Extra Fine. $7,500.
Mojave high grade gold ore specimen, double strand that weighs .75 oz. and measures 1 x 1 ¼”. This is a specimen of visible, native gold in quartz that came to us from an old collection with a label on the bottom of the box in pencil. Gold specimens from this region are Extremely Rare, including any from the famous Yellow Aster Mine nearby. $400.
This remarkable certificate printed by famous San Francisco Lithographers Britton & Rey has one of the first versions of what later became a very famous mining vignette that covers the entire left quarter of the certificate. Nearly every aspect of California Gold Rush mining is pictured in the vignette. The vignette was created by Britton & Rey in the 1850's and was used on the Bear River and Auburn Mining Company certificate’s early versions, but it is perhaps most famous for the Tuolumne Water Company certificates from the 1850's that survived in abundance. This is an unissued example from the 1880's in Unissued condition and is a classis representation of California Gold Rush mining and art. $200. Sold
This is a business card sized purchase receipt for gold dust “bought”. It does not include assay results. On the reverse is the name A. K. Canyon. The obverse is unused. Marks & Co. were typical gold-dust dealers and bankers at Moore's Flat, a gold rush community in Nevada County settled in 1851 or 1852. The gold there was found mainly in buried tertiary gravel channels. The company is thought to have been short lived. There may be less than five of these known, which makes this an R7. Very Fine to Extremely Fine. $300.
This is an original photo postcard of ruins. The photograph clearly shows stone ruins in a desert setting. Mt Ophir, located in Mariposa County was originally known as Ophir. It became active about 1851. Gudde in California Gold Camps states “According to tradition, the famous octagonal $20 and $50 gold slugs were coined here from locally mined gold in a private mint built in 1850 by John L. Moffat. A photograph of the ruins of the building, purported to be the mint is reproduced in the Mining Bureau XIV, page 591. The Merced Mining Company, of which Moffat was one of the directors commenced operation at Mt. Ophir in April 1851.” The front says “Site of First Mint in California”. Stamped on the back of the card is “Grahame Hardy Carson City, Nevada”. Hardy was one of the original early western American dealers. He had a shop in Carson City and in Virginia City. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. Extremely Fine. $150. Sold
This collection contains 49 letters from Ephiram and Robert Cutting to their family in Chelsea, Massachusetts and six ambrotype photographs of their mines and family in Murphy’s, an important gold rush community near Angel’s Camp, California. Two of the photographs are half plate ambrotypes of exceptional quality, content and condition, illustrating aspects of the California Gold Rush rarely seen before in photographic form, if ever.
The letters include 29 dating from the 1850’s discussing in great detail every aspect of mining life, the gold business, express, currency, slavery, politics, and the loneliness of being removed from family and friends by thousands of miles in a vastly new and difficult environment. “This gold digging business is the most exciting – most depressing uncertain & lottery like occupation that was ever thought or heard of,” remarked Ephiram to his brother Henry in a letter datelined “Murphy’s Diggings July 19, [18]52.” One remarkable letter was written on a Hutchings Illustrated California Letter Sheet of the Miner’s Ten Commandments, with Cutting raving about what the real Ten Commandments were in Murphy’s, and how they were completely dissimilar to those on the printed page.
Gold is a constant subject of the letters, and Ephiram did reasonably well at gold mining, sending gold specimens and coins home at every opportunity. “I wrote you sometime since of forwarding you 12 oz or 1 pound Gold Dust, the proceeds to be appropriated for the benefit of our parents . . . ” [Sept 19, 1852] Two years later all the gold he was sending home was in coin form, which was less attainable in 1852, generally “enclosing $2.50” for support or purchases. The pressed surfaces of the $2.50 gold coins are generally retained in the letters, though the coins were spent by the family as intended. Later still, large denomination Bills of Exchange on Wells Fargo were sent to Chelsea, though there was constant worry if the drafts or gold would ever arrive. “As to that $2.50 lost – tis my opinion your penny postman fingered it.” [7/27/1853]
The sinking of the great gold treasure ship S.S. Central America in 1857 was on the mind of Cutting and other California gold miners. “I never thought much of that Overland route – the Steamer line was a sure shot – except once in a while as the Central America and the Golden Gate – I sent no letters by either of these steamers.” [10/18/1862]
Ephiram Cutting started in California as a gold miner. He also acted as an accountant for several different mining companies. He and his partner John Kimball were in partnership for nearly fifty years, sharing all their revenue in all their ventures. The pair invested money with the Dickinson brothers to cut down the Mammoth Tree Giant Sequoia in Calaveras, ship it to Philadelphia in 1854, and have it displayed by P. T. Barnum. Cutting & Kimball later bought the Dickinson lumber business in Murphy’s.
The collection is conservatively valued at $150,000 to $200,000 according to several experts, who noted that there have been several sales of important Daguerreotypes and Ambrotypes for $75,000 to $150,000 each in the past few years, and the two in this group are arguably better than any gold rush images sold to date. The contents of the letters are “priceless’” according to Fred Holabird, who noted that there are few known collections of gold rush letters with this quality of content. This collection was acquired by Holabird from an anonymous buyer with plans for a book about the letters, photos and history of Murphy’s. Price on Request.
Speech made by Salmon P. Chase, probably in Cincinnati, Ohio. When this speech was made, Chase had just been elected as a Senator from Ohio in the Free Soil Party. He did not begin official duties until March, 1849. He became Governor of Ohio in 1855, and Treasurer of the US under Lincoln until 1864, at which time he resigned and became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court preciding until he died in 1873. This document appears written in Chase’s own hand. It is an impassioned speech introducing California to Ohioans, and recommending that they go to this new land, comfortable in climate, safe from harm and full of gold . . . perhaps I should turn to the young men. Indeed they are the only ones to look to in the settlement of a new country . . . In the great enterprise that I am to introduce you to this evening . . . we should give you some accounts, especially of the gold region . . . My friends have just returned from there, we came home for the purpose of closing up our business and returning for life . . . They raise beets that weigh 4 tons, potatoes as big as a pick . . . trees so tall it takes two men to see the top . . . the gold is what agitates the world, and that’s what we are after . . . if anything, gold is more plenty than dirt . . . In the gold districts the miners fence in their digging patches with a gold wall . . . on the table before me lies a few specimens of pure California gold in lumps . . . ” Complete transcript is included. This is one of the finest first hand letters or speeches the author has seen and it comes from one of America’s greatest politicians and legal minds. No photograph. $7,500.
Photo Courtesy of Stack’s, Lot 3535, John J. Ford, Jr. Collection Part XX & XXI, October 2007 Sale.
This rectangular gold ingot measures approximately 1.75 x .75 x .25” and weighs 3.0 troy oz. One side reads: 1849 1879 / 3 OUNCES 883 THOUS / CALIFORNIA PLACER / GOLD. The opposite side reads: VALUE / IN / UNITED STATES COIN / 54 DOLLARS 75 CENTS. The side is stamped J.REED ASSAYER.
John Reed was an assayer in San Bernardino, California in 1880 and 1881, according to McKinney’s Pacific Coast Gazetteer. He was born in 1849 and lived and worked in San Bernadino most of his life. He may be the same John Reed who was a quartz miner in Grass Valley in 1870 (b 1838 England). He is not found in the 1880 census, and may have been working at a remote southern California mining camp, most of which were outside the reach of the census takers.
San Bernardino was near three placer districts, Bear Valley, Holcomb Valley and San Antonio, each within 15 to 40 miles of the mountains to the east. These were quite active in 1880, and new discoveries at Calico and other sites caused a stir in the mining world. San Bernardino was the business center to these remote districts and Reed probably took advantage of it. More research is necessary to ascertain why Reed made this gold bar for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. He may have been promoting one of the southern California placer gold camps, which would explain its significance to be displayed at the Centennial Expo. John Reed of San Bernadino was the only assayer with this surname found in an extensive search of records. Two other Reeds appear which here mention: John S. Reed was a melter, and jesse Reed was a refiner with the Pacific Refining and Bullion Exchange in San Francisco. It is Unique and From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection.
Two silver ingots are known from the Centennial Expo, both from Nevada. This is the only gold ingot known today from this famous exposition. $55,000.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft Vol XXI The History of California Vol III. 1825-1840 Printed in Facsimile from the First American Edition. Published at Santa Barbara By Wallace Hebberd. Extra Fine Condition. No photograph. $75.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft Vol XXIV History of California Vol VII 1860-1890. The History Company. Binding broken, boards loose, x-library. Otherwise Fine condition (contents). This is the tough to obtain volume, published a few years later and contains Bancroft’s data from 1860 to 1890. No photograph. $125. Sold
By John Shertzer Hittell. This is first in a series of four, 1861-1864 and is the rarest volume. It contains much valuable information on western mining, such as specific mills, mines, etc. It also supplies details of chemistry and geology of gold, assaying, mining laws and the recent silver strikes in Washoe, Esmeralda and the Coso districts. Hittelll details the operations in dealing with both Placer and Quartz vein deposits of gold and covers figures on the gold yield and exports by years. He also discusses the use of private gold coins and the San Francisco Mint operation in refining assaying and coining gold. It is one of only two that we have handled in thirty years. It has a hard cover with red leather, 224 pages with Appendix. Measures 4 ½” x 6 ¾.” Twelve pages of advertisements appear in the back. These include mining supply companies and the Assay Office of Kellogg and Hewston & Co. Spine and cover worn, a few tears on interior pages, age discoloration. No photograph. $850.
Illustrated. By William Taylor, of the California Conference. Sisteen Engravings. New York: Published for the author by Carlton & Porter. 2nd Edition. No photograph. $375.
This Directory has been professionally rebound with the original boards and original end plate. 593 pages. The directory lists California towns and their merchants alphabetically, followed by a California business directory. The second half of the book is a Nevada business directory, followed by many pages of ads. The last part of the directory is a San Francisco business directory. This McKenney's is scarce but does appear from time to time, though almost never in this nice of a condition. VeryFine. No photograph. $1,200. Sold
J.A. Baird's classic treatise on 1849-1869 Calif Pictorial Letter Sheets numbers 170 pages. The publisher is David Magee of San Francisco. From the introduction: “In the two decades following 1849 artists and printers in the west produced thousands of vivid pictorial records on sheets of writing paper, and these remain the major surviving visual account of Calfiornia in that era . . . Lettersheet illustrations were essentially a form of reportage. Although many are of considerable artistic merit, this is not their primary interest . . .” This volume is Extremely Fine. No photograph. $600.
[1] Elisabeth L. Egenhoff, The Elephant As They Saw It, State of California, Divisions of Mines, p51, Letter form Colonel R.B.
Mason to General R. Jones, Adjutant General, U.S.A., Washington, D.C. dated August 17, 1848.
[2] Mason’s Letter, The Elephant As They Saw It, p51
[3] Mason’s Letter, The Elephant As They Saw It, p50
[4] Mason’s Letter, The Elephant As They Saw It, p57
[5] Kenneth Bressett, The Official Red Book of United States Coins 2007, p227.
<[6] James Polk, State of the Union Address, December 5, 1848.
[7] “Asher B. Durand’s Career as an Engraver” by Wayne Craven; The American Art Journal, Vol.3 No.1, Spring 1971, page 39.
[8] See Longworth’s New York Directory, 1832-3, and 1834-5 for entries of the firm under both names.
[9] Carson City Silver Age, 10/20/1861
[10] Mark Twain’s Letters, Volume 1, 1853-1866, p208-9, 212.
[11] Carson City Silver Age, October 2, 1862.
[12] The Silver City Assay Office is not listed in the 1863 Nevada Territorial Directory.
[13] Doten Journals, p1453.
[14] Clark, editor; The Journals of Alfred Doten [Doten Journals.jpg">, 1849-1903; 1973. Pp 1241, 1368, 1382, 1391, 1453, 1860.
[15] After the Territorial Census, Irvin is absent from US Census data. He may have died shortly after.
[16] Mining & Scientific Press May 21, 1864. p341. 391
[17] 1862-1874 San Francisco Directories
[18] 1875-1877 San Francisco Directories. Chalfant. The Story of Inyo, 1933.
[19] 1881 San Francisco Directory
[20] Owens. California Coiners and Assayers, 2000
[21] Kagin, p305.
[22] San Francisco Herald, November 19, 1851.
[23] Kagin, p167.
[24] Hittell, Mining in the Pacific States of North America, p208, 1861. Interestingly this important
reference is also titled “Bancroft’s Hand-Book of Mining for the Pacific States”.
[25] San Francisco Herald, January 8, 1852.
[26] [Ref: Hittell, p208.jpg">.