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2024 Nov 24 @ 08:00 (UTC-8 : PST/AKDT)
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Lot Includes Balance and 2 Framed Signs that were on display with the scales at the Carson City Nugget.
The Carson City Branch Mint Troemner Special Bullion Balance. 1870-1893. The balance was built into a waist-high table for ease in use at the mint. It measures 3’ x 7’ x 31” high. The metal base of the balance is flush with the table top allowing ease of product in and out of the pans. The balance height above the table top/balance base is 58”. The support of the pans at its widest point is 18.” The height to the arm is 11 5/8”. The arm length is 46 ½”, with an overall height to the top of the cased arm of 56.” The arm is fully cased in wood and glass, all original, for protection from dust. The balance arm and attendant crank are in full working order. There are two set screws on one size for stabilization, currently set high so that the pointer at the center of the beam is not resting on the center support, a sensitive part of the instrument.
The table shows wear of on and off movement of heavy loads at both ends of the table. In one small area, there is an indented “line” of impact, which may be from an ingot that was dropped, causing an impression form its edge when it hit the wood. The construction of the table itself appears contemporaneous with its use at the Mint. While the Mint balance was generally protected while on public display for more than an estimated 70 years, there are a few minor circle stains, probably caused by a casino customer leaving a glass on the top.
The top case was removed for the photograph session and the arm cleaned of dust. It appears in perfect, or near-perfect condition.
See FH Paper below. This is the most important numismatic artifact to surface in many decades. [ Carson City Nevada
The Carson City Mint Bullion Scales, c 1869
Essay by Fred N. Holabird, copyright 2024
Introduction
Most of us in the Numismatic collecting field love everything from the Carson City Mint. The silver dollars and other CC minted coins excited collectors in the 1800s and still do today. While the ultimate prize of some of those first 1870 gold and silver coins remains out of reach of most collectors, we can still admire the glistening Morgan dollars we all bought in the GSA holders decades ago.
Over the years, I’ve assayed and written about Carson City silver coins. We’ve had hundreds of original silver assay sheets from various Comstock mines, and a few gold assay certs as well. Other Carson Mint documents are really rare, as are the original coin bags - another cherished Carson City Mint treasure.
What excited many, and perhaps most of us, was seeing the original Carson City bullion scales at John Ascuaga’s Nugget casino in Sparks. I first saw them about 1971. Then in later years, I made sure to take the pilgrimage to see them whenever I was in the casino. Everybody – certainly all the Carson City coin collectors - talked about them. They’d been on display since about the late 1950s, though in a different place than the solid gold rooster that became infamous over time . They were one of those great special things that you didn’t have to be a coin collector to appreciate.
But one day they were gone. And so was that fabulous solid gold rooster.
The Nugget had been sold by the Ascuaga family, and new owners took over. Where did they go? I enquired and was simply told “they’re gone.” Uggggghh. Nobody ever heard another word.
Then I got a phone call more than a decade later. They were “rediscovered,” but never lost. Just kept private, held in the family, like any cherished treasure.
Tracing the history of the historic scales became a passion. After the closure of the Mint amid serious scandal and precious metal theft, the contents of the “old Mint” became variously known as “junk” or “relics,” as stated by both Treasury and Carson Mint officials. Only the Mint coin presses were of interest to the Treasury Department. Everything else went out the door, discarded, relegated to a useless “relic” status.
The Carson City Mint Bullion Balance (scale)
The Carson City Mint balance was made by famous scale and balance manufacturer Henry Troemner & Co. of Philadelphia. Troemner had a secure contract with the Treasury Department for his special and very accurate balances and scales, and had that contract since the Gold Rush days. But how did a huge Troemner scale get to Carson City?
Here’s the story of how a Philadelphia scale and balance manufacturer from Germany got his product into the most famous of all the US Mint facilities – the Carson City Mint.
Henry Troemner, Bullion Scale Manufacturer for the US Mint System
Henry Troemner in Philadelphia had developed a great business. As a scale manufacturer, he built some of the finest scales in the world. He attracted the very best businesses, and hit the jackpot when the US Treasury Department decided in about 1856 that all of their scales for the US Mint and all of its branches and assay offices would be afforded only the very best scales for measuring the weight of gold and silver bullion and coins. At the same time, he secured a contract with the Mexican government for providing scales for their Mint. This put Troemner absolutely as the top scale manufacturer in North America.
While scales and balances were provided to Government and private entities, there is an important distinction between scales and balances. Scales measure the weight of an item where the weight is measured on the balance bar, adjusted by weights on the bar. A balance uses a neutral bar with pans hanging at either side, where weights are placed in a pan on one side, and the items to be weighed in the other side, thus a “balance.” The Carson City Mint, and all the other bullion weighing devices at the Mints are technically “balances.” Troemner called them “Troemner Special Bullion Balance.”
Congress Calls for Three Branch Mints.
In 1835 Congress passed an Act to construct three Branch Mints. Two of these were located in the newly discovered Appalachian gold belt. The Charlotte (North Carolina) Branch Mint opened in July, 1837, followed by the Dahlonega, Georgia Branch Mint in February, 1838 and the New Orleans Branch Mint in March, 1838. The New Orleans Branch Mint was created to serve as not only a convenient receiving port for foreign shipments of metal, particularly from South America, but for needed geographic employment.
The California Gold Rush
With the advent of the California Gold Rush and a massive influx of over $50 million in gold per year coming into the Treasury system, the US Mint built its fourth Branch Mint in San Francisco in 1854, which was also the first Branch Mint west of the Mississippi River. California had become a state in 1850, the first western state in North America, becoming so important because of its gold production that it bypassed the “Territory” status.
Gold production in California overwhelmed the San Francisco Mint. For the first time, the US Mint system was getting silver into its coffers from domestic ores as a byproduct of the gold. Indeed, the average dore gold ingot was about 88% pure gold and 12% silver. Soon, it became unnecessary to receive and melt foreign silver coin in order to produce American silver coinage.
Troemner’s bullion balances were used in San Francisco, and were replaced when worn out or better technology caused replacement. Troemner remained the steadfast balance at the Mint for more than 100 years, as it did for the other mints as well.
The Comstock Lode, Nevada
With California gold production at such a high level throughout the 1850s, prospectors combed every inch of the West in search of riches. Soon, California prospectors discovered rich gold-silver deposits just over the Sierra Nevada not far from a beautiful mountain lake that they had named after California’s first governor, Lake Bigler. Even explorer John Charles Fremont hadn’t named the lake – he just called it “Mountain Lake.” Known as Lake Tahoe today, it is a scant 45 minute drive from Virginia City, the center of the great Comstock Lode, discovered for good in 1859.
The Comstock was a precious metal behemoth. Within just a few years, the Comstock was producing over $30 million a year –not from a state – not from a county - not from a mining district, but from a single ore deposit. It became the richest single ore deposit ever discovered in the world to that point. That’s about $751 million per year in inflation-adjusted dollars, but even more if we look at the rise in silver and gold prices. The financial impact of the Comstock ore deposits on American finance was tremendous. California and Nevada gold and silver production vaulted the United Sates to the top of the financial world, a place they would stay for more than a century.
With the San Francisco Branch Mint overflowing in gold, and Nevada producing tons of silver and gold, another Branch Mint was needed. Carson City, the site of the Nevada State Capital, was chosen as the site. It was a central location along the Nevada-California border, an ideal site geographically.
Construction began in 1866, and was completed and opened January 8, 1870. Most of the equipment had been delivered and setup by 1869. The Mint coin press was installed, tested and working. The Troemner bullion scales were there. The assay office was setup and ready for business and the coin rooms were waiting for their first products.
The Carson City Branch Mint Troemner Special Bullion Balance. 1870-1893
Henry Troemner’s bullion balance in Carson City became a workhorse from that first day in 1870 onwards. Troemner’s name was placed on a bright brass plaque at the top of the stand just under the massive arm, attached by four screws. This same plaque appears on all of the older Troemner scales, and is also evident in John Shannon’s “The Assay Balance” (1999, p103).
The balance went on to weigh hundreds of millions of dollars in gold and silver – both bullion and coin. Coins minted at Carson City were highly valued right away – the production was almost always less than at other branch mints, and collectors clamored for them from the first year onward. The only place they were ever “common” was in the pockets of Carson City residents.
Over the ensuing years, the Carson City Mint became the subject of much politicizing. The Mint inadvertently became the punching bag of the American political system. Coin production went up and down at the whim of the politicians. Much has been written on the subject, from the “Crime of 1873” issues to the “16 to 1” silver-gold standardization issues, and more.
1893. A Scandal Hits the Carson City Mint, Forcing Permanent Closure.
In 1892, about two years into a deep precious metals depression that saw a drastic reduction in silver price internationally, a scandal was underway at the Carson City Mint. An internal audit appeared to show a serious shortage in bullion and a non-corresponding bullion/cash balance (to put it simply). Gold and silver bullion was missing. After an approximate two year investigation, it was found copper was implanted into bullion bars to replace stolen gold. In addition, the record keeper never accounted for the seniorage – the difference in price between the actual value of the silver in the coin, versus the price of silver per ounce at purchase. Seniorage had become a very clever way for the government to make money on coinage. If the silver market was weak, say 60 cents per ounce, and the silver dollar only had 0.77 troy ounces of silver in the single coin, then the dollar coin was only worth 0.77 x .60, or 46.2 cents. Yet Congress said it was supposed to be $1.00 worth of silver in the dollar coin. In short, the Government had only 46.2 cents (plus production costs) in every dollar. That’s a nice little profit. But the Carson City Branch Mint record keeper “forgot” to make the calculations, and supposedly pocketed the difference. Unfortunately, three of the accused died shortly afterward; one died under suspicious circumstances almost immediately.
That scandal, accompanied by the weak silver market and the demonetization of silver put a nail and a screw into the Carson City Mint’s coffin. The Fed decided to keep the building, but in 1899 started removing the presses to San Francisco, along with the remaining $5 million in coin in the vault. In 1900 they opened the “mint” as an Assay Office, still under the jurisdiction of the US Mint and Treasury Department.
US Assay Office, Carson City, 1900-1933
The opening of the old Mint as an assay office was of tremendous use to Nevadans. Major gold-silver discoveries were made in Tonopah and Goldfield, followed by many others over the next 15 years.
The Assay Office was just that – an Assay Office, not a Mint, so all of the old equipment became obsolete. Indeed one Treasury appointee called it all “junk” except for the presses. The Assay Office ran through 1928, when it was deemed unnecessary and permanently closed. Along the way, probably in the mid-teens, the Treasury department had ordered the sale of much of the furnishings, which they called “relics,” which was done with little or no public notice. One employee decided to ship the old fancy wall clock which was not working back to the Treasury Department as a memento. Other items were disbursed throughout the region. The Carson City Mint’s original old wrought iron fence was sold to two local Gardnerville area ranchers, still present at the ranch houses today. Other items got spread out into the community. The old bullion cart went to Mark Cecil, who later donated it to the State Museum in 1942. The 1869 Troemner bullion scales also went out the door, an outdated piece of equipment that couldn’t be used by the Assay Office.
The Carson City Mint building lay dormant and empty after formal closure. A proposal was floated in the State Legislature to try to get the Government to give the building to the State. It wasn’t the first time somebody tried to use the building for other purposes. In June, 1925 and again in 1928 and 1930 it was proposed by the Fed to turn the Mint into a Federal prison.
The fate of the bullion scales and the rest of the furnishings seem to have been fully distributed or thrown out by 1934, when it was reported in the local press there was nothing left in the building.
In the fall of 1934, the Director of the Mint hired San Franciscan Francis Healy to dismantle the Carson City Mint. It had been proposed to turn the Mint into a “relief headquarters.” It was reported: “Healy and his crew have found gold and silver almost everywhere in the old stone building. On the floors, in the carpets, on the walls, up the chimneys. In fact almost everywhere they looked, they found some trace of the precious metals.” Healy and his men were tearing the place apart, and in one of the vaults, hidden from view, was a “bar of bullion … valued at $491.13 by the San Francisco Mint. The bar carried $484.82 in gold and $6.31 in silver.” Much of the precious metal recovered was from roof material.
In 1938, local miners were allowed to “mine” the yards of the Mint for a few months. Some were successful. Efforts continued that year to get the State to acquire the Mint building , this time for a museum.
The Nevada State Museum Gets a Building
On April 7, 1939, Senate Bill 2050 passed. It was written for the State to purchase the building at 50% of the appraised value. But the wrangling and haggling on the purchase deal was just beginning.
In January, 1941, the Work Progress Administration (WPA) allotted $14,756 to remodel the building for use as a State Museum. The New Deal program was designed to put people back to work, and the new State Museum was a great choice for the people of Nevada. The Museum opened in February, 1942. Pleas and requests were made for donations of goods and Carson City Mint coins. Both began to stream in from local residents, including Mark Cecil’s bullion truck that he had rescued from the trash years before. Other Carson City Mint “junk” (as the Government called it) lay in homes throughout the Carson and Eagle valleys, as well as up in Virgnina City and parts of Northern Nevada. Much made its way into the Museum over time. But not the Troemner bullion scales.
Dick Graves Opens the Carson City and Sparks Nugget Casinos
On June 17, 1954, Dick Graves officially opened the Carson City Nugget, complete with his “$50,000 rare gold collection.” Graves had been a very successful slot machine dealer and operator in Boise, Idaho. When Idaho outlawed slots and gaming, he moved to Nevada. Within a year, Graves opened another “Nugget” in Sparks. A young man by the name of John Ascuaga became his general manager there.
Graves was a collector, and the Carson City Nugget gold collection was just the beginning. In 1957 he asked a jeweler to make a rooster out of gold for the Sparks Nugget to promote the Chicken Restaurant in the casino. It contained 225 ounces of 18kt gold. It was confiscated by the Government as a violation of the 1933 Gold Reserve Act as amended, and Graves fought the confiscation by using Paul Laxalt, later Nevada Governor, as his lawyer. Their position was that the bird was a work of art, and not a bullion item, thus not eligible for confiscation.
While the gold rooster was in the hands of the Government, Graves put out a brass replica dressed in a black and white prison “convict uniform.” The gold bird was later returned to the Nugget, where it was on display for decades.
Somewhere along the line, Graves acquired the Troemner Carson City Mint scales from one of the local families. He displayed it proudly in the Sparks Nugget. The Carson Nugget had the gold collection, so the obvious tie for the Sparks Nugget was the Carson City Mint bullion scales. That way both casinos had a direct tie to Nevada’s rich Comstock and mining heritage.
Graves liked all things old from Nevada, and soon, Ascuaga joined the interest in Nevada’s mining, ranching and Basque heritage. Ascuaga entered into a sale agreement for the Sparks Nugget in 1959 and completed the purchase in 1960 for a reported $3.75 million. By January, 1970, it was reported that Dick Graves had sold out of all his gaming interest in Nevada.
The Sparks Nugget grew rapidly under Ascuaga’s outstanding vision. It soon became the quintessential casino in northern Nevada, later rivalled by the Bally’s (now Grand Sierra) casino.
The Ascuaga family sold the casino in 2013, having owned and operated it for 63 years. Within a short time, the Troemner Carson City Mint balance and the solid gold rooster disappeared from the casino. The rooster was later sold at auction, but the balance disappeared. There were lots of rumors within the numismatic community, but it appeared that it had just vanished, lost to history like so many other important objects.
Then I got a phone call. It had been a little more than a decade, and the Ascuaga family reached out to me. I was pleasantly shocked, in complete awe, and excited. The 1869 Troemner Carson City Mint balance was intact, in perfect condition, and had been kept in loving company of the family. After 155 years this wonderful “relic,” which never moved more than 25 miles, has come to the surface to find a new home.
Other Mint Collectibles
Over the years, the Treasure Department has cleaned out a lot of the old Mint ”surplus” at all of the Mint facilities. Bullion balances and scales, mostly post-1900, have been sold as scrap or artifacts, as has old assay equipment, outdated bullion punches, record books and more. These items made it into parts of the collecting community over time. In example, an old bullion cart is part of the Bank of California Gold Museum Collection; Mint assay office tools were part of the traveling SS Central America exhibit; and numerous bullion balances adorn private and public offices, museums and showrooms throughout America, including in Las Vegas.
But old collectibles like the Carson City Mint Bullion balance? I cant recall anything of this age or importance. This is truly a treasure found.
Physical Description
The balance was built into a waist-high table for ease in use at the mint. It measures 3’ x 7’ x 31” high. The metal base of the balance is flush with the table top allowing ease of product in and out of the pans. The balance height above the table top/balance base is 58”. The support of the pans at its widest point is 18.” The height to the arm is 11 5/8”. The arm length is 46 ½”, with an overall height to the top of the cased arm of 56.” The arm is fully cased in wood and glass, all original, for protection from dust. The balance arm and attendant crank are in full working order. There are two set screws on one size for stabilization, currently set high so that the pointer at the center of the beam is not resting on the center support, a sensitive part of the instrument.
The table shows wear of on and off movement of heavy loads at both ends of the table. In one small area, there is an indented “line” of impact, which may be from an ingot that was dropped, causing an impression form its edge when it hit the wood. The construction of the table itself appears contemporaneous with its use at the Mint. While the Mint balance was generally protected while on public display for more than an estimated 70 years, there are a few minor circle stains, probably caused by a casino customer leaving a glass on the top.
The top case was removed for the photograph session and the arm cleaned of dust. It appears in perfect, or near-perfect condition.
Auction Location:
3555 Airway Drive Suite 308, Reno, Nevada, 89511, United States
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Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NSST |
8.375% |
Nevada Sales Tax |
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Infinite |
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22. PAYMENT: We accept Cash, Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, Money Order/Cashier’s Check, Wire Transfer, Personal Check or PayPal. All returned checks are subject to a $25 fee. Cash received in amounts greater than $10,000 is subject to the filing of IRS form 8300, as required by law.
23. Automatic Credit Card Billing: Internet bidders are subject to the payment terms and conditions outlined on the internet bidding platform they utilize, which may include the automatic payment of auction invoices with the credit card information on file at the time of registration.
24. NON-PAYMENT: HWAC reserves the right to cancel any invoice not paid in full within 15 days. A cancelled invoice does not relieve the bidder from their obligation to pay seller fees and buyer’s premiums compensating HWAC for its services in conducting the auction. Interest shall run on all outstanding balances at the highest rate permitted by law. HWAC shall have a lien against the merchandise purchased by the bidder, and any other of bidder’s property then held by HWAC or its affiliates, to secure payment of the invoice, and with respect thereto HWAC shall have all the rights of a secured creditor under the Nevada Commercial Code, including but not limited to the right of sale. HWAC may sell the lot(s) securing the invoice to any under bidders in the auction that the lot(s) appeared, or at subsequent private or public sale, or relist the lot(s) in a future auction conducted by HWAC. A defaulting bidder agrees to pay for the reasonable costs of resale (including a 10% seller’s commission, if consigned to an auction conducted by HWAC). The defaulting bidder is liable to pay any difference between his or her total original invoice for the lot(s), plus any applicable interest, and the net proceeds for the lot(s) if sold at private sale or the subsequent hammer price of the lot(s) less the 10% seller’s commissions, if sold at an HWAC auction. If HWAC refers any invoice to an attorney for collection, the bidder agrees to pay attorney’s fees, court costs, and other collection costs incurred by HWAC. Any bidder who fails to follow the terms of payment will be reported to iCollector, Live Auctioneers, Invaluable, or applicable bidding platform, and may be barred from participating in future Holabird Western Americana auctions.
25. RESTOCKING FEE: In the event that purchased item(s) remain unclaimed by the buyer for a period of more than 30 days after the auction concludes, or is returned without valid reason, the buyer shall be subject to a restocking fee equal to 10% of the total purchase price. This fee is intended to cover administrative costs, storage fees, and other expenses incurred as a result of the unclaimed or returned item.
26. UNCLAIMED MERCHANDISE: In the event that a successful bidder has paid in full for their merchandise but fails to settle outstanding shipping invoices or make arrangements for merchandise pickup within 60 days, HWAC reserves the right to declare the merchandise forfeited. This forfeiture will result in the merchandise becoming the property of HWAC and the successful bidder shall have no claim to or rights over the forfeited merchandise.
27. CONDITION: We strongly recommend that you attend the live preview to see lots in their entirety. Conditions are not always noted, and large lots may not be itemized due to catalog restraints. For questions, detailed information, or additional images of any lot please contact our office at 775-851-1859. Bidders are responsible for understanding the condition of items. Conditions noted are subjective, and may differ person to person. High resolution images of all items are available online for inspection. HWAC is not responsible for condition discrepancies; it is the bidders responsibility to determine condition prior to bidding.
28. RETURN POLICY: All items are guaranteed to be authentic unless otherwise noted. If authenticity is challenged, please call our office for assistance. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. You may only return any piece that was significantly inaccurately described by calling our office within 10 days of receipt of item(s) and notifying us of the error and reason for return. We do not refund postage or insurance. Please call us if you require a more specific condition report. Any items that are returned must be returned in the exact, unaltered condition. When we receive your bids we will assume you have read the description in the catalog, viewed the image of the item, have contacted us regarding any questions you may have on any lot and/or have previewed the lot in person.
29. This sale is being held under the laws of the State of Nevada.
30. HWAC shall not be held responsible for any problem due to the bidder’s failure to follow the rules, terms and conditions of this sale, or any failure to bid due to the loss of the online auction process provided by any of the online auction networks; or missed bids, changed bids or cancelled due the bidder’s failure to follow the proper bidding procedure outlined herein.
31. By placing a bid or otherwise participating in the auction, Bidder accepts these Terms and Conditions, and specifically agrees to the dispute resolution provided herein.
32. HWAC shall not be responsible for consequential damages, incidental damages, compensatory damages, or any other damages arising or claimed to be arising from the auction on any lot. Bidder’s sole remedy for any proven act or omission shall be rescission of sale and refund of the amount paid by Bidder.
33. Any claim, dispute, or controversy in connection with, relating to and/or arising out of the Auction, participation in the Auction, award of lots, damages of claims to lots, descriptions, condition reports, provenance, estimates, return and warranty rights, any interpretation of these Terms and Conditions, any alleged verbal modification of these Terms and Conditions and/or any purported settlement shall be exclusively heard by, and the parties consent to exclusive in personal jurisdiction of, the Superior Court of Washoe County, Nevada. The parties expressly waive any right to trial by jury. Any claim must be brought within one (1) year of the auction from which the claim arose or the claim is waived. In every case, the prevailing party shall be entitled to an award of its attorney’s fees and costs.