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Blake & Co. MS Small-Sized Gold Ingot. 14.31 Ounces....
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$144,000.00
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Description
Blake & Co. Small-Sized Gold Ingot
Ex: S.S. Central America, 14.31 Ounces
Blake & Co. MS Small-Sized Gold Ingot. 14.31 Ounces.
CABG-029. Blake & Co. was one of the primary assayers in the
Sacramento area in northern California, in close proximity to the
gold fields along the American River. Gorham Blake arrived in San
Francisco on May 22, 1852 after working the previous year as a
superintendent in an iron mine in Vermont. He was soon employed as
an express agent in the Placerville office of Wells, Fargo, and the
following year he became an assayer. Blake & Co. company was
established in 1855, and while there were numerous personnel
changes over the years, Gorham Blake was a driving force, except
for a short time, until the company finally went out of business in
1861. The productivity of Blake & Co. was impressive, especially
for a firm of its size. By the end of 1856 the company had assayed
200,000 ounces of gold. The fineness of the raw gold varied
considerably, thus underscoring the need for a local assayer rather
than relying on "pinches" of gold dust for currency. The Michigan
Bluff area yielded $20.15 per ounce, while Carson Valley only
yielded $12.13 per ounce. The ingots of Blake & Co. were shipped to
numerous destinations worldwide, but its most famous shipment is
one that never arrived, the 33 ingots that went down in the
Atlantic when a hurricane sank the S.S. Central America in
September 1857.This is one of the smaller-sized ingots from that transport that never arrived. This ingot was poured from Mold B-01, the so-called adjustable Twix Bar mold. This long, thin bar has information impressed into three of the long sides. One side has the BLAKE & CO. hallmark. The adjoining long side has: No 5229 [sideways] / 604 FINE / VALUE $178.67. The next adjoining side has the assay chip out of one corner and states the weight: 14.31 Oz. Housed in a plastic case. The ingot measures 19 x 72 x 17 mm. The surfaces show slight polishing that is common to ingots from this firm. A few gas bubbles are evident on two of the long sides.
From The Marcello Collection, Part IV.
View all of [The Marcello Collection, Part IV ]
Auction Info
2019 January 31 - February 3 Long Beach Expo US Coins Signature Auction - Long Beach #1292 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
Jan-Feb, 2019
31st-3rd
Thursday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 16
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 3,189
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid per lot.
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