3179

Leopold Kuh Assay Office Sheet for Deposit by James G. Fair [164666]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Mining Start Price:200.00 USD Estimated At:400.00 - 1,000.00 USD
Leopold Kuh Assay Office Sheet for Deposit by James G. Fair  [164666]
SOLD
180.00USDto I*******r+ buyer's premium (45.00)
This item SOLD at 2023 Jun 17 @ 12:16UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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
This is an important Comstock assay document. FH says this assay sheet shows Fair using Kuh to check for continuity and homogeneity in sample results. These samples were likely from different mills and Fair was checking to see if they produced the same results. These two deposits of crushed ore from August 15th, 1867 show nearly identical gold and silver results, and would thus be considered homogenous. This assay sheet shows Kuh's office at Taylor Street, Corner of D. Street. It is signed by Kuh as assayer. 7.75 x 10" At this time, Fair was superintendent of the Hale & Norcross Mine. The Bonanza Kings would wrestle away control of this mine from William Sharon and the Bank of California soon after.

Kuh was born in Hungary in 1817. He came to California during the Gold Rush and got his start at the San Francisco Mint about 1856. By 1859, he had his own gold refinery in partnership with Henry Fisher, which grew to a three person partnership the next year known as Kuh & Co. Early shipments of Comstock ore were sent to San Francisco in the fall and winter of 1859 and into 1860. The ores were so rich that most mining men fled to the Comstock and created the "Rush to Washoe." Kuh followed suit. He was hired by one of the Comstock mining companies in 1861, and went to work for the Central Mining Co. The Central's two claims were right next to the Ophir claim, along with the Kinney claim. These three claims later became known as the California Mine, which went on to be the largest producer on the Comstock, at $64.6 million through 1905. While there, Kuh learned and refined milling and metallurgical practices to extract the Comstock gold and silver ores. In 1863, Kuh struck out on his own, opening an independent assay office and metallurgical consulting firm, and located his office located near the Ophir Mine's office. In late 1865, he opened another location at Taylor Street, Corner of "D" Street. Kuh kept an active office in Virginia City until 1869, when he returned to San Francisco, where he worked until he died in 1886.

Date: 1867
Country (if not USA):
State: Nevada
City: Virginia City
Provenance: