2543

Ontario Silver Mining Company Stock Signed by Haggin [200564]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Mining Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 500.00 USD
Ontario Silver Mining Company Stock Signed by Haggin [200564]
SOLD
900.00USDto 8*************e+ buyer's premium (225.00)
This item SOLD at 2025 Aug 09 @ 17:11UTC-07:00 : PDT/MST
FINAL AUCTION RECORD The Auctioneer’s podium notes serve as the final, legally binding record of the auction results, superseding any electronic bidding records. See Terms and Conditions
Ontario Silver Mining Co. stock certificate number 1390 issued to New York financier and railroad man E. K. Goodnow for thirty shares on Sept. 19, 1878, signed by Company president J.B. Haggin. The Ontario was the biggest silver mine in America, owned by partners George Hearst, Lloyd Tevis and JB Haggin as principal shareholders.

Ontario stocks are very rare. They were found with the Homestake stocks at Lead years ago by Shaddrick, and for an unknown reason, there weren't many of them.

The story of the Ontario is a good one. Hearst had been to Utah in 1872 to see the Little Emma with one of his trusted mining men. He was completely unimpressed. Running into Marcus Daley, whom he and Haggin would later partner up with at Butte, Daly mentioned a new discovery called the "Ontario." It was no more than a mere prospect, reportedly six feet long and five feet deep. Hearst liked what he saw, and stayed a few days to watch developments, undoubtedly throwing his own muscle into the ring. Meanwhile, Daly and the others were off to investigate Pioche. Three weeks later, Hearst bought the mine for $25,000 cash while it was still in its complete infancy. He was buying on a pure gut feeling based upon his knowledge of ore deposits. The 1872 Mining Laws, crafted by Nevada Senator William Stewart, were just in effect, and few understood them. No matter, Hearst bought up all the adjacent claims. By 1875, Hearst's team had begun serious development of the mine, dropping a shaft 400 feet, with drifts extending and cross-cutting the silver ore, resulting in blocking out tonnages of mineable rock. The drifts and cross cuts were developed up to 1000 feet along strike, according to Raymond in his report as Mineral Commissioner for 1875, not published until 1877. They told Raymond they had blocked out up to $1 million in ore, with much more to come. Hearst's team was doing the development of the ore deposit in a manner we now call "conservative", delineating ore well in advance of mining. Move forward two years and the silver bonanza called the Ontario was now under full production.

This is the best of the few Ontario certificates in the Shaddrick collection.
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Date:
Country (if not USA):
State: Utah
City: Park City
Provenance: Homestake Mine Geologist Dave Shaddrick Collection