2172

Hentsch & Berton's Assay Office Gold Memorandum, 1868, S.S. Central America Assayer

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Mining Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD
Hentsch & Berton's Assay Office Gold Memorandum, 1868, S.S. Central America Assayer
SHIPPING & HANDLING: Shipping and Handling cannot be estimated prior to invoicing, based on the size and weight of your purchase. All shipping is subject to a minimum charge of $19.00. If additional shipping and handling costs are required, the buyer will be reinvoiced for the balance due. Items are not shipped until the invoice is completely paid. Many buyers purchase a number of lots. Every effort will be made to include all lots in a single shipping charge calculated to cover the weight and size of the package(s). NOTE: Some shipments (of unusual size, dimension, or weight) may require sp...
Premier assay piece. Extremely rare with only one or two others known. From the John J Ford Collection. No. 2526 for gold bullion deposited by Messrs. Cohen & Levy who were a retail dry goods merchant located at 45 Second St. in San Francisco. One 31.72 oz. sample of gold dust deposited and melted on April 6th, 1868. The sample was .934 gold fineness and valued at $591.89. Handwritten calculations on reverse. Folds with some stains. Red print on creme paper, no printer identified. 6.5" x 10.5"

Henry Hentsch was among the five assayers whose ingots were recovered from the famous wreck of the SS Central America that sank on Sept. 12th, 1857 off the coast of North Carolina with over $1.3 million in gold from California. The captain, crew, and passengers (426 total) perished. As gold was roughly $20 an ounce, the wreck represented 65,000 troy oz. of gold. Henstch and Berton teamed up in 1863 to run a banking and assay office. Date: Location: San Francisco, California HWAC# 50939