NOT SOLD (BIDDING OVER)
0.00USD+ applicable fees & taxes.
This item WAS NOT SOLD. Auction date was 2023 Apr 29 @ 09:00UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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Kellogg & Humbert 13.59 Oz Gold Ingot, Serial number 833, 843 fine, $236.82 in 1857 dollars, stamped "Kellogg &" on one long edge and "Humbert" on the opposing long edge. 833 stamped on the reverse with diametrically opposing assay chips from two corners. S.S. Central America
Kellogg & Humbert Gold Bar from the S.S. Central America
Summary
Augustus Humbert and John Glover Kellogg are among the most famous assayers in California Gold Rush history. Kellogg had previously been in partnership with Richter, then John Hewston (1854-55). The Kellogg & Humbert partnership formed in 1855 and lasted till 1860. In addition to the ingots, the firm minted gold coins to fill the void left by the recently opened San Francisco Mint who couldn't keep up with the Gold Rush demand. They were among the most active and prolific issuers of gold bullion in both ingots and coins during the mid-1850s. After 1860, Kellogg left the partnership, and Humbert partnered with Hewston.
Of the 577 gold bars recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck, 373 were made by the Kellogg & Humbert firm, clearly demonstrating their dominance and reputation. This ingot is a near-perfect size, showing the attributes of a full-face hallmark so highly desired by collectors today, yet its relatively small size is perfect for any treasure display.
The Beginning: Kellogg & Humbert, California Pioneers in More Ways Than One!
Augustus Humbert was critical to the beginnings of the California assaying and coining business. He was the first assayer for the newly created US Assay Office in San Francisco in February of 1851, where he produced the very first octagonal $50 gold "slugs", unquestionably one of the most popular coins collected today among US Coin collectors. It was the very first official US $50 gold piece.
Humbert was appointed as US Assayer for the new USAO in San Francisco by Congress. In the fall of 1850, he was escorted to California by John Little Moffat, a veteran Georgia gold man, California pioneer and the man who pioneered gold coinage in California, along with T. Butler King, congressman from California who championed pushing for an official US Assay Office and US Branch Mint in California. Moffat began making his own gold coins in 1849. He hired John Kellogg, a lawyer who also arrived in 1849, to help run the business. Kuner made the dies for the $5 and $10 coins, and Curtis, Perry & Ward joined the group.
Humbert et al sold the USAO building and contents to the new US Branch Mint on Dec. 14, 1853. Five days later, he announced a new partnership with Richter, known as Kellogg & Co., who quickly began making $20 gold pieces before the Mint could get into production. This was a much needed source of coinage for the gold-rich California. The partnership with Richter lasted only about four months, and Kellogg brought in John Hewston, an analytical chemist from Philadelphia. A scant year later, Kellogg partnered with his friend Augustus Humbert, together again in a strong working relationship, and the pair grew their business tremendously. By May of 1855, Kellogg was supplying more than 50% more coins into the California monetary stream than the Branch Mint who couldn't keep up with the Gold Rush demand for coin. Hewston rejoined the firm in 1855, and the company thrived through 1860 as perhaps the largest gold assayers and refinery in America.
Kellogg & Humbert's major competitor was Justh & Hunter. Emanuel Justh had been an assistant assayer at the new US Branch Mint at San Francisco, starting there literally just after the Branch Mint opened.
The sinking of the SSCA in 1857 left a pile of gold ingots on the ocean floor 7,200 feet deep, all tightly packed into wood treasure boxes and stacked on the wood shelves of the metal-floored secure storage room, now known as the "gold room." The shippers of Kellogg & Humbert gold ingots are unknown, and may well have been a number of banks including Wells, Fargo & Co., since at the time, they were among the top two gold ingot producers in California, along with Justh & Hunter. California Gold Rush gold ingots were virtually unknown until the discovery of the S.S. Central America.
The SSCA Gold Ingots
577 gold ingots have been recovered from the SSCA, all from the gold room as shown in the combined inventory of the expeditions of 1988-2014. Several years ago, 78 ingots were removed for melting and conversion to commemorative coins. Today, just over 300 Kellogg & Humbert gold ingots survive.
The Kellogg & Humbert gold ingots are among the most desirable ingots from the SSCA treasure. None of the Kellogg & Humbert gold ingots under fifty troy ounces were removed from the population for melting, underscoring their importance and demand. The small ingots are the most popular by far, and this ingot at 13.59 ounces is one of the choice smaller gold ingots.
It is just large enough to have the Kellogg & Humbert hallmark split evenly between two opposing sides.
Note on Fineness
All of the gold ingots found on the SSCA are "dore" bars. They are ingots or bars containing the original amount of gold and silver as present in the original gold consignment given to the assayer. It is often thought that California native gold contains an average of about 885 fine gold, with the rest silver. In an interesting comparison, the average gold content of the 577 gold bars on the SSCA is 876 fine gold and 124 fine silver, coincidently very close to the "accepted average" of California native gold.
While gold in the California Mother lode region varies highly from over 950 fine to about 588 fine, it is far different in different parts of the world. As an example, the Appalachian gold belt is generally over 900 fine. Each and every major gold region on different tectonic plates, each with a distinctly different mode of formation, has its own characteristic gold fineness and trace metals that make it (nearly) unique.
This Kellogg & Humbert gold ingot is 843 fine, a classic representation of California gold of about average fineness. It is, as such, a perfect example of the California Gold Rush assay ingot, none of which were known to exist prior to the S.S. Central America discovery.
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3555 Airway Drive Suite 309, Reno, Nevada, 89511, United States
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Nevada State Sales Tax
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NSST |
8.375% |
Nevada Sales Tax |
| CSST |
7.25% |
California Sales Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
20% |
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Shipping Details:
SHIPPING & HANDLING: The customer is responsible for all shipping and packaging charges. We offer shipping service as a convenience to our buyers. Items are not shipped until the invoice and shipping charges are completely paid. Shipping costs will be calculated and billed separately after your items have been paid for. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers: FedEx, UPS, USPS or DHL. Pick up is available from our Reno office, once you have received your invoice post auction, with 24 hours notice given to HWAC prior to pick-up.
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This is a Live Auction conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC (HWAC).
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