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California. Kellogg & Humbert Assayers Gold Ingot. Weight: 54.07 Oz. Fineness: .909. Value: $1,016.0

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Ingots Start Price:50,000.00 USD Estimated At:150,000.00 - 170,000.00 USD
California. Kellogg & Humbert Assayers Gold Ingot. Weight: 54.07 Oz. Fineness: .909. Value: $1,016.0
SOLD
115,000.00USD+ (20,125.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2017 Sep 16 @ 09:39UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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John Glover Kellogg studied law in New York before joining an 80 member Cayuga Joint Stock Company which left New York for California on February 13, 1849 and arrived on October 12, 1849. In April of the following year he was hired by Moffat & Co and retained as cashier by them during their association with the United States Assay Office. He stayed with them during the transference of operations to Curtis, Perry and Ward in early 1852, but left soon after and tried his hand in the tobacco business until August 30, 1853.
With the imminent opening of the San Francisco Mint, the U.S. Assay Office ceased operations on December 14, 1853. At the time no private firms were coining gold and prior to the Mint opening there was a critical shortage of gold coins. Kellogg and his new partner, and former assayer with the USAOG, George F. Richter, were petitioned by a number of merchants and bankers to supply private coins until the U.S. branch mint went into operation. They obliged in February 9, 1854 and continued until the Mint finally opened on April 3rd. But even then the Mint could not keep up with demand and Kellogg and Richter continued to issue $20 gold pieces until April of 1855 (they even struck a dozen or so $50 round proof pieces.
On April 2nd Kellogg formed a new partnership with the former U.S. Assayer, Augustus Humbert. During this association the two melted down gold and produced gold ingots. This and the next lot are two of over 350 which have been recovered from the shipwreck S.S. Central America.
The present Kellogg & Humbert ingot wins the prize among this offering for fineness and actual weight; the fineness is finer than that of the Spanish Colonial gold doubloons of a few decades earlier, and the weight of the present bar accounts for just over one third of the total weight of the six ingots featured here! Featured on page 434 of the Bowers Gold Rush reference, this deep golden ingot is deeply impressed by the maker with the pertinent information, and rich orange toning offers itself in numerous places. A fitting ending to a trip through Gold Rush and Maritime history.

A nice size ingot from the most (relatively speaking) common of these Gold Rush gold ingots.