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Josephine Quicksilver Mining Stock [161395]

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Stock & Bond - Mining Start Price:200.00 USD Estimated At:400.00 - 600.00 USD
Josephine Quicksilver Mining Stock [161395]
SOLD
170.00USD+ (42.50) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2023 Mar 31 @ 11:48UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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#281 for 10 shares to Hannah Fernald. Signed by secretary G Staacke and president William Barron. Datelined San Francisco (San Luis Obispo crossed out) 1864. Printed by Towne & Bacon. Incorporated on January 4, 1864. Mill, sunrise, wagon vignette. Overall nice condition.

In January 1864, 40 Californios (descendants of the Spanish and Mexican-era settlers in California) and American hopefuls had incorporated to form the Josephine Quicksilver Mining District. Many acquired a share of this promising mine, among them, partners C. B. Rutherford and Walter Murray. Within a few years it became clear that little progress was being made and Rutherford and Murray decided to take action. Rutherford went to San Francisco to raise money by selling shares, many of which neither he nor Murray owned. He was successful and sold a majority of the Josephine Quicksilver Mining District shares for $25,000, also negotiating an additional bonus of $20,000 for himself and Murray. Before that illegal deal could be completed, word leaked out, and the large San Francisco-based Bolton, Barron, & Company cut them out by purchasing a controlling interest. When Bolton, Barron, & Company acquired ownership of the Josephine Mine in 1867, things began to happen, and, in the next three years, the company shipped $280,000 worth of quicksilver out of San Simeon. In the midst of the boom, while prices were still high, the Josephine began to experience hard times and, by 1874, production had dwindled. [Harbor Town Histories online]

Date: 1864
Country (if not USA):
State: California
City: San Luis Obispo County
Provenance: