CALIFORNIA - Alameda Country through Contra Costa County

ALAMEDA

169.        Alameda.  Alameda.  Harry’s/ Alameda/ Calif.// GF/ 10¢/ In Merch.  Rd, al, 25mm.  Au.  Not listed in our edition of Kappan.  Est. $25-75

170.        Alameda.  Livermore.  Duncan and Denman/ Livermore/ Calif.// GF/ 12 1/2¢/ IT.  Oct, al, 26mm.  F- Livermore.  F-Vf, slight dents, scratch on reverse, reverse slightly weak.  Probably a billiard hall, c.1908.  Est. $25-75

171.        Alameda.  Livermore.  F.C. Duncan/ Livermore// 12 1/2 Cts./ IT.  Scalloped, br, 25mm.  Au.  Post 1894 and pre 1911.  Est. $25-75

172.        Alameda.  (Oakland).  Dahlke/ Saloon/ 7th & Braodway/ Moise & Co.// GF/ 5¢/ IT.  Rd, br.  Xf, dark spots on obverse.  August A. Dahlke ran a saloon at 573 8th in Oakland (Merchant Directory, 1911).  Rare.  Est. $40-80

173.        Alpine.  Crystal Spring.  Iowa & Surprise Cons. G&SMC.  Inc. in 1864.  Cert #2, issued to Almira Young for 100 shares in 1864.  Signed by pres. Wm. Echlin and sec. S. Williams.  No vignette, black border and print.  “Victoria Lode” and “Crystal Spring Mining District, Amador County, Cal” printed on certificate.  Datelined Markleeville.  Printer – Benjamin Sears.  9 x 4.  Uncancelled.  Stained, wrinkled and creased, small chips along bottom, and a few termite holes in the body, but pretty sound..  Fine. This is the first time we have seen this district, of which I can, as yet, find no written record. Ex. Rare.  Est. $500-1000

174.        Alpine.  Markleeville.  Markleeville Correspondence, 1890’s.  Lot of 6 pcs.  The contents of each of the manuscript letters deals with financial matters.  Four of the six are on letterheads, the other two are plain paper.  Extremely fine.  Est. $50-100

175.        Alpine.  Mogul.  Brandon Gold & Silver Mining Co.  Incorporated in 1863.  Issued to Wm. Leffingwell, cert #76, for 50 shares in 1864.  Signed by John H. Titcomb president and Henry Leffingwell secretary.  Burgundy border and print.  Great Mogul District, Amador County, Cal printed on certificate.  One 20 cent and one 5 cent revenue stamps attached at left edge.  Uncancelled.  3 x 7.  Extremely fine.  John H. Titcomb was a clerk at the Police Judge’s Court, City Hall in San Francisco.  Henry Leffingwell was a real estate agent.  (Ref: 1862-5 SF Directories)  Est. $750-1000

176.        Alpine.  Mogul.  Highland Chief Gold & Silver Mining Co.  Incorporated in 1863.  Issued to Wm Leffingwell for 50 shares, cert #73, in 1864.  Signed by Wm Leffingwell president and Henry Leffingwell secretary.  Green border and print.  One 20 cent and one 5 cent revenue stamp attached at left edge.  Uncancelled.  3 x 7.  Extremely fine.  Brothers Henry and Wm. Leffingwell were both real estate agents, but they didn’t work or live together.  (Ref: 1862-5 SF Dir.)  Est. $750-1000

177.        Alpine.  Monitor.  Michigan Mining Co., Pictorial Prospectus, 1864.  This company got its start in December 1863. Their office was at Mt. Bullion, a tiny mining camp at the junction of the East Fork of the Carson River and Monitor Creek. Early directors were F.A.S. Jones, Capt. James Jones, T. J. Wilson, and O. F. Thornton. Wilson was president and F. Jones superintendent. The company planned to run a tunnel under Mt. Bullion under the various lodes that had been located, among them the Florence, Helvetia, Constitution, Hercules, Michigan and American. Of these, the Michigan was the western most at the time.  The prospectus has a full half page wood block illustration of a cross section of Mt. Bullion and the lodes, along with the prospective tunnel.
     By running the tunnel, they expected to tap into the lode’s riches at lower levels. In February 1864, they contracted with two miners to drive the first 500 feet of the tunnel. This was a risky venture. Today, we would drill the deposits from the surface to determine if there was ore at depth. Only after careful evaluation of subsurface data would we ever attempt a tunnel. But in 1864, tunnels were their only form of drilling – exploration, if you will, that might shed light on exactly what was down there – ore or not.
     The second page discusses in more detail the location, plans, etc. They even disclose that the major roads were not yet completed (due in April, 1864 but not stated). We were not able to ascertain who James Jones was. He is apparently not one of the three mentioned in Bancroft, including the Pioneer Register. There is a James S. Jones in the 1862 and 1865 SF Directories who was an engineer. None used the notation “Capt.”  O. F. Thornton was not listed in either SF directories; the prospectus indicates he lived at Mt. Bullion.  F. Jones and Wilson are also not listed, thus may have been Mt. Bullion or Silver Mountain residents. Extremely fine. No folds, discoloring or tears. This has been written up sometimes as an illustrated letter sheet. Its probable intent was as a partial letter sheet with hand written promotional notes by one of the officers while writing to try to get a prospective buyer to purchase stock. But Baird (Illustrated California Letter Sheets) did not include it in his work, perhaps because it is a prospectus, regardless of the fact that there are two blank pages, which may or may not be intended for a note from the officer. Rare. Est. $500-1000

178.        Alpine.  Silver Mountain.  Almira Gold & Silver Mining Co.  Incorporated in California 1863.  Issued to Amos Kinney for 10 shares, cert #224, in 1864.  Signed by G. S. Wolf president and J. C. Ransom secretary.  Vignette at upper left of a woman standing on a globe; at center of a woman leaning on an anchor holding an American flag; at lower right of George Washington.  Black border with fancy black safety print.  Uncancelled.  Printer - Agnew & Deffebach.  6 x 10.  Great Mogul District printed at bottom.  The Mogul district is in Alpine County.  It was one of about fifteen districts organized after the discovery of silver in 1861.  Though few of the mines remained alive, the great metallurgist G. Kustel built a mill there to process ores in 1867.  The fact this certificate is datelined Mogul is significant.  The principals were probably all residents.  They are not listed in the 1862 SF directory.  Upper left corner, and lower right corner, gnawed by mischievous mice with about 0.5 x 1 inch piece missing cutting across the border.  Lower right does not affect border.  Very fine.  Est. $400-600

179.        Alpine.  Silver Mountain.  Granite State G&S MC.  Incorporated in California 1864, issued 1864 to A. C. Perkins for 10 shares, cert no. 9, signed by Stephen Otis as president and Wm Smith as secretary, printed by Boswell & Co., SF. 5 x 9”, uncancelled, crisp. 20 and 5 cent adhesive revenue stamps attached at left.  The Granite State was a prospect in the Silver Mountain District, It never produced any ore that we were able to ascertain. It had the same issue and officers as the Orinella and Saginaw.  Est. $500-1000

180.        Alpine.  Silver Mountain.  Hancock Gold & Silver Mining Co.  Incorporated in San Francisco in 1863.  Datelined San Francisco.  Unissued, uncancelled, and unsigned.  Three vignettes, top center of small wood building with mill wheel and windmill in background; left side of man in colonial attire; bottom of safe & dog.  Black border on white paper.  5 x 10.  Printer H. S. Crocker & Co., Sacramento.  Gold and silver were discovered in the late 1850’s here.  Rush began about 1850.  Originally a Scandinavian community known as Konigsburg, the name was changed to Silver Mountain about 1862. Nothing reported in Raymond or Browne.  Minor yellowing at edges, one light stain.  Extremely fine.  Est. $25-50

181.        Alpine.  Silver Mountain.  Orinella Consolidated G&S MC, incorporated in California 1864, issued 1864 to A. C. Perkins for 5 shares, cert no. 13, signed by Stephen Otis as president and Wm Smith as secretary, printed by Boswell & Co., SF. 5 x 9”, uncancelled, crisp. The Orinella was a prospect in the Silver Mountain District.  It never produced any ore that we were able to ascertain. It had the same issuee and officers as the Granite State and Saginaw.  Est. $500-1000

182.        Alpine.  Webster.  Fossen G&SMC.  Inc. in CA, 1863.  Cert #67, issued to Ezra Smith for 50 shares in 1864.  Signed by pres. C. Sack and sec. E.L. Pfieffer.  Datelined San Francisco.  Vignette of California state seal and mining scenes around it.  Small vignette at bottom of dog and safe.  Black border with red and black print.  “Location, Webster District, Amador County, Cal” printed on certificate.  Printer – Buswell & Co.  9 1/2 x 5 1/2.  Poor condition: stains, large pieces missing, small holes, left edge torn and missing lower left corner, upper right corner missing.  Uncancelled.  Sack was an optician and mathematical instrument maker in SF.  He was new to the area.  Pfeiffer was a German druggist there.  (Ref: SF Dir 1865).  Est. $150-300
183.        Alpine.  Woodford.  West Carson Consol. G&SMC.  Inc. in 1864.  Cert #431, issued to Luther Olds for 15 shares in 1864.  Signed by pres. Henry Stilwell and sec. A.G. McPherson.  Crude vignette at left of bald eagle and flag.  Black border and print.  “Woodford Mining District, El Dorado County, Cal” printed on certificate at left.  “Mineral Point Lode, — 1800 Feet” and “Log Cutter Lode No. 2, 1800 Feet” printed on certificate.  Datelined Markleeville, Amador County, Cal.   Trimmed tight at right edge, 1/2” piece missing from top left side, left bottom corner missing, stained and wrinkled.  Fine.  Printer  – Towne & Bacon.  7 1/2 x 4.  Uncancelled. Located in Alpine County, but probably confused in 1864. This district is not listed in the Silver Mountain region, but is clearly related. The West Carson River joins the East fork of the Carson at Woodfords. There are just a few tiny prospects there, and I am surprised a public company was floated on one of them.  This is another extremelty rare piece, perhaps the only one extant. Est. $500-1000

 

AMADOR

184.        Amador.  Amador County Deeds, 1888-1911.  Lot of 15 pcs.  Includes, but not limited to, the following;  Plymouth deed, 1890; Jackson Power of Attorney, 1888; Jackson deed, 1892, Bradford Quartz mine, 1896 and several others.  Very fine.  Est. $100-200

185.        Amador.  Ione.  W. H. Stanley, Dentist of Ione City announcement of services, c.1875 .  The letter notifies the citizens of Ione City that he will be open for operations at the Veranda House.  Stanley must have been a traveling dentist, servicing towns lacking local services.  8” x 5”.  Fine, some tears, foxing and folds.  Est. $25-50

186.        Amador.  Jackson.  Amador Dispatch Book & Job Printing Office, Billhead, 1874.  The billhead has a legal paper attached.  It appears that the person for whom the bill was for passed on prior to payment.  W. M. Penry, of the Amador Dispatch, filed to recover his money.  Both pieces dated 1874.  The legal paper as a stamp seal for the County of Amador featuring a tree within the seal.  Extremely fine.  Est. $50-100

187.        Amador.  Jackson.  Anita GMC.  Cert.#125.  Incorporated in 1894.  Issued to William F. Barton for 2500 shares in 1901.  Uncancelled.  Signed by president Daniel E. Bayes and secretary E.C. Hutchinson.  Black border, no vignette.  Printed by Armstrong & De Guerre.  Vf, some staining at bottom left.  5 3/4” x 10.  The property was located 1/2 mile southwest of Jackson.  “The surface was worked in early days, but no depth was reached until Anita Mining Co. began sinking in 1895.  They sank and inclined shaft at 63 degrees in and near the contact of the footwall greenstone and the narrow strip of Mariposa slate which extends south fro the Argonaut mint and carries the western branch of the Mother Lode.  An ore-shoot 114 ft. long was claimed by the promoters. . .at the 500 ft. level but on account of heavy water flow encountered there, the level was closed by bulk-heading. . .without any record of production.” (Logan, C. A. 1934, Mother Lode Gold Belt of California, Calif. State Div of Mines , Bull 108, p. 62).  Est. $50-100

187.5      Amador.  Jackson.  Anita Gold Mining Co.  Incorporated in California in 1894.  Issued to Grace Barton Smith for 2500 shares, cert #126, in 1901.  Signed by President David E. Hayes and Secretary E. C. Hutchinson.  Uncancelled.  5.5 x 10.  Printer – Armstrong & De Guerre, S.F.  See lot above for the story.  Bleed-through of red ink stamp on back side, stains at top and lower right corner, fine.  See above lot for story.  Est. $50-100

188.        Amador.  Jackson.  Magnolia Whiskey Label.  “Extra Fine Bourbon…For Sale by E. Ginnochio & Bro, Jackson, Cal.”  The print is gilt and in black ink.  There is a gilt spread winged eagle at center.  Two inch base that expands upward 4.5 inches and forms an arch at top.  Very fine.  Est. $20-50

189.        Amador.  Middle Bar.  Albany Gold Mining Co.  Cert.#A233.  Incorporated in California in 1892.  Issued to H. R. Lounsbury for 1000 shares in 1893.  Signed by Vice-President W. F. Trotter and Treasurer H. R. Lounsbery.  Uncancelled.  No vignette, cloud pattern behind masthead.  Black border on white paper.  4-1/2” x 8-1/2”.  Printer –W. E. Badeau, NY.  The mines were located about 4 miles south of Jackson near Mokolumne Hill.  The company was very active in 1893 at its mines the Albany, Astoria and Littlefield.  Not listed in Logan (EM&J 4-1-93, p. 301, p. 565.)  Very fine.  Est. $50-150

190.        Amador.  Plymouth.  C. H. Shields/ (Pic- star)/ Plymouth// 5¢/ IT.  Rd, br, 21mm, xf, small dark spot on obverse.  Est. $15-30

191.        Amador.  Plymouth.  Lopez M&MC.  Cert.#68.  Incorporated in Nevada in 1928.  Issued to J.R. Jullup for 1000 shares in 1928.  Uncancelled.  Signed by president Edwin M. Ewen and secretary Pete Lopez.  Central vignette of mining pit, flanked by tow vignettes of underground mining scenes.  Green border.  Printed by Knight Countham and Co.  Vf, folds.  9” x 11 1/2”.  The company had, prior to 1900, been inactive, up until 1928, where the mine was unwatered.  At this point ore averaging $12 per ton was reported, but no news had been reported since.  It was presumably dead thereafter, as it was not listed in any of the subsequent Mines Handbook volumes.  (Rand Sturgis, 1931, p.600).  Est. $25-50

192.        Amador.  Raymond.  Saginaw Cons. G&SMC.  Cert.# 11. Incorporated in California 1864, datelined San Francisco, issued to A. C. Perkins for 5 shares on certificate no. 11, Issued May7, 1864 signed by Stephen Otis as president and Wm. Smith as secretary. Clever little vignettes that are active parts of the certificate. The place where the number of shares and the share certificate number are written are in three dimensional looking ingots, complete with the assay chip taken from the opposing corners. I consider this a remarkable artistic rendition of the reality of ingot sampling, lost to most numismatists, who are used to seeing too many phony ingots without these critically important assay chips. There is no vignette, but the masthead is very attractive. Printed by Boswell & Co., SF.  5 x 9”, uncancelled, 20 and 5 cent US adhesive revenues at left.  Crisp. “Raymond District, Amador Co” printed on certificate.  The Raymond district is part of Silver Mountain, which became a part of the new Alpine County about the time this certificate was issued. Research of the Silver Mountain pieces can be hindered by the change in counties, and can be particularly frustrating because the early history of the district, while it was a part of Amador, does not show up anywhere in the early histories of Amador. The Raymond district was formed about late 1863, perhaps in the winter. It is about half way between Silver Mountain and Markleeville, roughly four miles distant from both locales. The Saginaw was just a prospect, with little long-term stability. Perkins started as a carpenter in San Francisco in 1862, and by 1865 was an unspecified clerk. By 1872-5, he was not listed in SF directories, but by ’79 was a mining speculator was a mining speculator. Stephen Otis was a real estate and stock speculator working for Farnum in SF. Wm Smith was a mining and petroleum investor in SF. [Ref: Holabird, SF Directories, 1862, 1865, 1872, 1875, 1879] This certificate has the same certificate style,  officers and issuee as the Orinella and Granite State out of the Silver Mountain districts. Est. $500-1000

193.        Amador. Jackson. Oneida Gold Mining & Milling Co., 10 share certificate with 36 dividend coupons at bottom. Bearer certificate, signed by vp(illegible) and Joseph Mooser as secretary. Issued 1900. Incorporated 1896, probably in California. Underground mining vignette. Green border and underprint.  The certificate is made much like some of the Colorado certificates of the same period. Uncancelled. 11 x 17”.  Very fine.  The Oneida was active on and off for about 50 years, until the late 1890’s when it was revived. It employed about 40 people during the 1895-1905 period, but production is unknown. It later sold to the South Eureka M&M Co. It is 2 miles north of Jackson. (Ref:: Crawford, 1896; Logan.)  Est. $75-150

BUTTE

 

195.        Butte.  Durham.  Office Saloon/ (Pic- star)/ Durham, Cal.// GF/ 1/ Drink.  Rd, br (gilt), 21mm.  Xf, some rust.  Made by Sleeper in Sacramento.  Great Token.  Est. $100-200

196.        Butte.  Merrimac.  Butte County Camping Photograph Collection, c. 1920.  Lot of 19 pcs.  Most are 3 x 5.  Some are adhered to black album sheets.  The others are lose.  Merrimac is written on the back of some of the photos where the camp apparently was located.  These guys did not carry their stuff in like backpacking, they were some of the first “car campers” driving in there roadster to the campsite.  Aren’t cars wonderful?  Very fine.  Est. $25-75

197.        Butte.  Oroville.  Feather River Exploration Co., Correspondence, 1898-1901.  Lot of 20 pcs.  All letters to Capt. Thomas Couch of Sunnyside, Montana.  Capt. Couch appears to be the owner and financier of the Feather River Ex. Co.  His superintendent from Oroville keeps his boss well informed of the happenings at the placer operation.  There are also correspondence regarding switching the placer mining operation from wood powered steam to electricity and there is even mention of the use of a telephone.  There are also two manuscript letters from the Squaw Creek Mining Co “Dewey Mine” datelined from Yreka, Cal, 1901, to the Feather River Ex. Co. pertaining to a drill.  Very fine.  Est. $75-150
198.        Butte.  Oroville.  Onyett’s Dairy Bottle & 4 other bottles.  1)  Red Silkcreen, Onyett’s Dairy, Oroville, Calif., Phone~424W., (reverse) Milk The Fountain of Youth!, Builds Health, Strength, Beauty, with pic of a mother with a son and daughter offering glasses of milk, one quart, crack at base in front that barely break surface glass, bottles is very clean otherwise.  2)  Red silkcreen, Merced Dairy & Ice Co, Ph. 626-627, Merced, Calif., Reg Cal on front and back, chip at top rim, impact chip above silkscreen in front without loss of pieces.  3)  Orange Silkcreen, Shelter Superior Dairy, Direct from Producer to Consumer Fresher by a day, with pics of farms and a car on front.  Reverse Shelter Superior Dairy, From Farmer to Consumer, Shelter Superior Dy., Hynes, Cal, with pics of people, minor chips at base ring.  4)  Unlabeled, Unembossed one quart milk bottle.  5)  G & B Drug Co, Vermont & Jefferson Sts., Embossed Medicine bottle, 3viii at top, chip on top ring, dirty, 7” tall.  Est. $25-50

199.        Butte.  Richardson Springs.  Richardson Springs Photographs, 1926.  Lot of 4 pcs.  Photos are 3 x 4.5 and are of outdoor scenes.  The springs got its name because they were locating on the Richardson Brothers’ property who were local ranchers (Gudde, 1949, p. 286).  Very fine.  Est. $25-50

CALAVERAS

 

200.        Calaveras or Santa Cruz.  California Big Trees Pictorial Letterhead, 1904.  A very attractive pictorial letterhead five different tree vignettes at the top.  Each is labeled as to the local name or tree name.  Clockwise from top left, Wawona, Moving Section of World’s Fair Big Tree, A Fallen Giant, Wawona, Sequoia Group, Ohio & Gen Grant.  Short manuscript letter with poor English tense usage.  The last line appears to be slightly bigoted, “Shall I sent them (laundry) to any French and any white laundry men.”  Signed by F. Nakayama.  Photographer - Tabor Photos.  Very fine.  Est. $50-100

201.        Calaveras(?)  Unknown.  San Andreas Copper Mountain Mining Company of Camden Co. New Jersey, U.S.A.  Incorporated in New Jersey in 1882.  Certificate #2, issued to William Lorenz for 5568 shares in 1883.  Dateline Camden, N.J.  Signed by President Adolphus Bonzano and Treasurer Charles W. (?).  Vignette top center of  the Great Seal of New Jersey; at lower left of open stope with miners working above and below surface(this vignette partially obscured by seal) and; at lower right of 5 miners working underground.  Black border on white paper.  10 x 13.  Printer - Breuker & Kessler, Lith., Phila.  We could find no reference to this company among our resources.  San Andreas suggests a California property, but we are unable to find any information to verify this speculation.  There is a San Andreas district in NM as well, but we think it is probably California.  Slight discoloration at edges, wrinkles, folds.  Very fine.  Uncancelled.  Est. $150-300

202.        Calaveras.  Angels Camp.  Davy Crockett/ Liquor Co./ Bert Morgan/ Mgr./ Angels Camp, Cal.// (Pic- Man in rocking chair).  Hole at top for suspension.  Rd, al, 33mm.  Vf, minor corrosion.  Great pictorial token.  Davy Crockett was a popular brand of whiskey.  There are at least 2 different versions of an amber Davy Crockett whiskey bottle fifth dating from about 1890-1910.  While this token does not book for much in Kappan, it is rare today.  This is a great piece to go with the whiskey bottle.  Est. $150-300

203.        Calaveras.  Calaveras Water & Mining Co.  Incorporated in New York.  Cert. #1966, issued to Charles Salter for 100 shares in 1882.  Signed by vp H.K. Southwick and sec. R.K. Southwick.  Uncancelled.  No vignette.  Green border.  “Location of Property Calaveras County, California” printed on certificate.  5 x 10.  Printer – Franklin Bank Note Co., NY.  The property was located 3.5 miles north of Milton and included the Whiskey Hill gravel mine and a series of water ditches 21 miles in length.  The ditches cost $30,000 to construct and were supported by a series of reservoirs.  (Burchard, 1881, p. 24.).  Extremely fine.  Est. $50-100

204.        Calaveras.  Hodson.  Report on the Royal-Mt. King Properties, by J. B. Canada, September, 1954. 24pp, typewritten. Geology, metallurgy, and open pit possibilities. Canada thought the 500 plus acre property held 40-50 million tons of 0.1oz/ton gold ore as evidenced by stoped ore from the Royal mine. The property is about 12 miles west of Angels Camp, 2 to 3 miles northwest of Copperopolis. Report contains history of the mines, discussion o0f the ore zones, and projections. Est. 50-150
205.        Calaveras.  Indian Creek.  Mar-John MC.  Cert.#7489.  No incorporation date.  Issued to Gregory Bookanoff for 200 shares in 1933.  Signed by E.E. Martin, only, as secretary of Board of Trustees.  Green border, with a vignette of a spread-winged bald eagle perched atop an American flag.  8 3/4”x 11 1/4”.  Vf, a bit wrinkled, folds.  Property consists of the Old Calaveras Group, including the Enchantress and Oro Minto claims, settled on 312 acres, patented, three miles S. of the Sheep Ranch.  The mines were said to have carried rare earth minerals, such as neodymium, praseodymium, thorium, cerium and yttrium.  The company claimed a process for the rare metal recovery for which no details were discussed or available.  It was suggested to future investors to investigate this “alleged” process prior to sinking any money into the company, as the process, due to its elusiveness, was highly speculated.  (Rand Sturgis, 1931, pp. 604-605).  Est. $25-50

206.        Calaveras.  Mokelumne.  Mokelumne Hill Canal & Mining Co.  Incorporated in California.  Issued to J. C. Ham, cert #1205, for one share.  Signed by Henry Eno president and E. H. Pomeroy secretary.  Black border and print on crème colored paper.  Uncancelled.  Printer - Lithog. Britton & Rey, San Fo.  3 x 7.  The name “Mokelumne” is derived form Plains Miwok, and is possibly form an early pronunciation of the tribal name by the Miwok, with an Anglicized spelling.  The suffix “umne” means people.  Mokelumne was first known as Big Bar in 1848 and was an important business center for the early gold miners in the southern region (Gudde, 1949).  Extremely fine.  Est. $750-1000

207.        Calaveras.  San Domingo.  San Domingo GMC.  Cert.#237.  Incorporated in California in 1898.  Issued to J.D. Whitney, Trustee for 250 shares in 1906.  Uncancelled.  Signed by vice-president H.P Goodman and secretary H.P. Needy.  Vignette of hydraulic mining to left.  Black border and print.  Britton & Rey, Lithographers.  6 3/4” x 10 1/2”.  Xf, two creases where certificate was folded.  There was a successful placer operation known as the San Domingo mine located on San Domingo Creek.  This company may have had operations in this area.  Est. $25-50

208.        Calaveras.  Smith’s Flat.  Belmont-Osborn MC.  Cert.#382.  Incorporated in Nevada in 1929.  Issued to Bertha warren for 500 shares in 1929.  Signed by president J.C. (?) and secretary Auger.  Two vignettes of female allegorical figures flanking masthead.  Brown border.  Printed by Mysell Rollins Co.  9” x 11 1/2”.  Vf, some minor tears.  Smith’s Flat was located two miles west of Angel’s Camp.  The district was very active in the 1890’s.  However, this company’s production remains unknown.  (Ref: Rand Sturgis, 1931, p.498).  Est. $40-50.

CALIFORNIA(?)

 

209.        California(?)  Pacific Tunnel & MC of St. Louis.  Inc. in 1874.  Cert #258, issued to Davis Edwards for 100 shares in 1874.  Signed by pres. Thos. C. Fletcher and sec. Theo. W. Herman.  Very attractive certificate with a fancy masthead and a underground vignette, black border, green safety print and gilt underprint.  Datelined St. Louis.  Printer – C. Hamilton & Co., St. Louis.  10 x 7.  Uncancelled.  Two folds, extremely fine.  Trimmed tight at left edge. Looked High and Low for this one without success. Very attractive.   Est. $200-400

COLFAX

 

210.        Colfax.  Two Carte de Visites of Shuyler Colfax, American Vice President under U.S. Grant, and namesake of Colfax, California. One photo by Bradley & Rulofson, San Francisco with Colfax’s name written in pencil at the bottom of photo, lightly foxed; the second without photographer identification, typical of a Brady photo, but probably not. Corners trimmed. A Colfax, California is mentioned in Bancroft as a gold camp in 1849, but is not apparently related to the Colfax of today, which Gudde claims was named by the Central Pacific Railroad in honor of Colfax’s visit to California in 1865 when he was Speaker of the House. He became VP in 1868. Est. $100-200

COLUSA

 

211.        Colusa.  Maxwell.  Colusa County Bank Check Collection, 1920’s.  Lot of about 80+ pcs.  There are several varieties of check styles and sizes.  All are  cancelled by hole punches.  All are datelined Maxwell, Cal.  Very fine.  Est. $75-150

CONTRA COSTA

 

212.        Contra Costa.  Vallejo Junction.  Selby Smelting & Lead Co.  Certificate and billhead (1895).  Cert.#731.  Incorporated in California in 1875.  Unissued.  Black border on yellow paper.  4 x 9-1/2.  Printer – Britton & Rey, S.F.  Located at Selby, this company was a refiner of ores shipped from neighboring mining districts.  The town obtained the name when the first post office was established in 1887 and named for Prentiss Selby, superintendent of the smelting works and the first postmaster. Low numbered certificates of single shares commonly were given as honoraria to corporate executives or financiers who contributed to establishment and development of companies.  The original company was incorporated in 1875 in California.  In the early part of the 20th century, the Selby was “perhaps the largest smelter producer of gold in the United States, or possibly in the world.”  (Mines Handbook, 1916, p 1020).  Extremely fine.  Est. $25-50