Auction Name: 2026 March 26 - 28 US Coins Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 3310

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/1391*3310

Kellogg & Humbert Gold Ingot. 26.30 Ounces. CAGB-729. This ingot has one of the higher finenesses among the medium-sized weight class Kellogg & Humbert pieces from the S.S. Central America, though a number of slightly finer ingots exist. Its serial number is also one of the highest for the KH-02 mold from the shipwreck, with only three KH-02 ingots boasting four-digit serials.

Kellogg & Humbert formed its partnership in 1855, with Augustus Humbert joining John G. Kellogg's firm. Humbert, having previously served as assayer for the U.S. Assay Office, and Kellogg, already well respected, were immediately accepted as honorable assayers in the San Francisco area. Even though the San Francisco Mint had been in operation since the previous year, the private firm accepted significant assaying business, merely omitting coins from its services in favor of large assayed ingots. Many Kellogg & Humbert ingots ended up in the melting pot, either at the San Francisco Mint or after being shipped via steamboat to New York banks. The ingots recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck provide a detailed look at this prolific firm's assaying practices.

This ingot was poured into Mold K&H-02 (41 mm x 52 mm) and weighs 26.30 troy ounces. This is a medium-sized ingot (weight class of 25.01 to 40.00 ounces), though near the low end of that weight range. The top side reads: No 999 / 26.30 Oz / 884 FINE / $480.60. The company hallmark is placed on the long, right side. On lower-weight ingots from this mold, portions of the hallmark such as the word ASSAYERS can run off the edge face, but the current ingot is thick enough to facilitate the complete hallmark, though its placement is slightly corroded. The serial number is repeated on the back side of the ingot. The ingot is mostly bright yellow-gold on the face and sides, though much of the back side has deep reddish patina from the shipwreck environment. Thickness: 21 mm.

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