SOLD
3,000.00USDto t***********n+ buyer's premium (615.00)
This item SOLD at 2019 Dec 05 @ 15:45UTC-8 : PST/AKDT
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SHIPPING & HANDLING: Shipping is subject to a minimum charge of $19.00. Shipping and handling cannot be estimated prior to invoicing as it is based on the size and weight of your purchase. Additional shipping and handling costs, if required, will be re-invoiced 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.
Parsons Gold Ingot: "Parsons & Co. / Assayers/ Col. - 1860/ Twenty Dolls// CARAT DWT/ 18 1/2 25 6/10" rectangular, 1.2 x 0.75". 1.26 Troy Ozs.
About twenty years ago, we published an article in Colin World "Ingots: The Good Bad and the Ugly". In this article we discussed finding four of these in our research of collections around the country, including one at the Smithsonian. I call these "the original four". We were able to run some tests on two of them as I recall, but at the time I never had a sample of placer gold from the historical source of where Parsons reportedly mined, which I would have used in comparative analogy. Other advanced technology was in its infancy. This ingot came out of an old Colorado collection, but like the others, the ultimate provenance is completely unknown.
Over the years, we were lucky and found an original map showing the locations of where Parsons worked, as shown on a previously unknown 1865 map of the district. Today, I'd love to go to the spot, get the gold myself, and make comparative tests with both ICP and SEM/EDS. But this is an academic pursuit of which funding would need to be secured, and life moves on....
Today, this ingot has been presented to us to sell, and for me to openly discuss my thoughts.
During the course of research years ago, I found an 1880 reference to Parsons and his ingots, but no specifics were ever mentioned. I plowed through days of early Colorado newspapers looking for tidbits, but came up mostly empty. This I expected, because Parsons was in a very remote area far outside of the reporting area of the Denver newspaper in 1860.
The big question is this: are all four ingots fakes?, or is one of the four an original, from which the others were copied? and if so, which one is real? Two of the original four are in museums and their donation or purchase data shows acquisition after 1960, as I recall. There is no provenance on any of them, which makes it more difficult. But this is actually the norm- Historical ingots came out of the woodwork when Ford and Franklin worked the West in the 1970's. After the Gold Reserve Act was repealed in 1975, precious metal items came out like water, especially after gold and silver prices rose to new heights. People needed money, and out came their old gold and silver items, sold into the bullion market. Many legitimate great pieces were "discovered". Then came the SSCA, which clearly showed the cultural influence on marking ingots over time, which helped all understand the assayer markings system better. One of my all-time favorites was getting a silver Knight assay ingot (Marysville) right from the family who had used it as a paperweight.
I have little doubt that at least two of the "original four" Parsons ingots are fake. I have a very high confidence that the other two may be fake as well, based on comparative analogy of other known original ingots. But it must be remembered that Parsons was not part of the California or eastern assay business, and he therefore had no prior knowledge of how assayers customarily marked their ingots. We also know, absolutely, that parts of the assayer business in Colorado developed differently from that in California and Nevada. This makes sense, because there was little or no crossover in assayers until the Denver Mint began their work. By the way, please don't forget that there is a real 1865 gold ingot from the Denver Mint at the Colorado Historical Society, complete with provenance to 1929, and I believe we closed the gap all the way back to 1865 with newspaper research. That ingot is marked in the "standard" manner, though the marking methods were dictated by the Mint system.
Can we prove absolutely that all four are fakes? No. Can we prove absolutely that one of the four is real? Someday, perhaps. The technology absolutely exists today to allow for detailed analysis that would help render an opinion, much of which I and we do all the time for unpublished project work. But it takes a budget. SOLD AS A FANTASY. State: City: Date:
Auction Location:
3555 Airway Drive Suite 309, Reno, Nevada, 89511, United States
Previewing Details:
Preview will be at our Auction Location,
3555 Airway Drive Suite 309
Reno, NV 89511
Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm or by appointment.
Please call 775-851-1859
Nevada State Sales Tax
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NSST |
8.265% |
Nevada Sales Tax |
| CSST |
8% |
California Sales Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
25% |
Additional Fees:
| Fee | Amount | Applicable Locations | Applied To |
| Handling |
5.00
|
Not Applicable
|
This fee applies to the total of the invoice
|
Shipping Details:
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 special handling for which individual costs will be calculated and applied to the shipping charge on the invoice. The buyer is responsible for arranging and paying for shipment of large or special items. The customer is responsible for all shipping charges. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers: Federal Express or the US Postal Service. All items shipped Federal Express or USPS will be insured for the full value determined at auction by HWAC, which is included in our buyer’s premium. Pick up is available from our Reno office the next business day after the auction.
Large, heavy or fragile items will incur extra shipping charge. After initial payment we will pack your shipment and print shipping label. We will then re-invoice you for any additional charges.
Please consider extra costs of shipping and handling charges when you make your purchases.
We encourage you to pick up items after the auction. Many items may require special handling and would incur additional handling and shipping costs way beyond those anticipated.
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS
This is a Live Auction conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC (HWAC).
1. The placing of a bid shall constitute the bidder’s acceptance of these terms of sale.
2. BUYER’S PREMIUM & INSURANCE: There will be a 25% Buyer’s Premium added to the sale price (hammer) of each lot. We accept cash, checks, money orders, wire transfers, credit cards and PayPal.
3. COINS, CURRENCY AND PRECIOUS METALS, Insurance. The buyer’s commission for this section is 20.5%. Coins and currency shall be defined as any regular Federal issue circulating coins and currency. Tokens are not considered coins. Precious metals shall be defined as ingots, silver or gold rounds, bullion items and gold nuggets. Mineral specimens are not considered under the precious metals category. Commemorative items such as metals and ribbons are not considered coins of precious metals. However, lots that consist entirely of gold or silver of high purity, including commemorative metals, are considered precious metals. Please contact our office if you need clarification on a specific lot.
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5. SHIPPING & HANDLING: The customer is responsible for all shipping charges. Shipping and Handling will be estimated prior to invoicing, based on the size and weight of your purchase. All shipping and handling is subject to a minimum charge of $19.00. If additional shipping and handling costs are required, the buyer will be re-invoiced 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 special handling for which individual costs will be calculated and applied to the shipping charge on the invoice. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers: Federal Express or the US Postal Service. All items shipped Federal Express or USPS will be insured for the full value determined at auction by HWAC, which is included in our buyer’s premium. Pick up is available from our Reno office the next business day after the auction with 24 hours notice given to HWAC prior to pick-up.
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BE ADVISED: Auction participation through the live Internet bidding site is not 100% foolproof. The technology for this process is always changing, and the operation of it and the corresponding Internet connectivity issues are far beyond our control. Some folks have attempted to use the live Internet bidding process as their primary method of bidding, and have been quite successful. Others have failed completely. Depending upon your computer, server, host, and other factors, Internet signals may be delayed, such that bids may not be received in time. We cannot be held responsible for these delays, or for the lack of placed bids in a timely manner, or any other factors leading to unaccepted bids that are far beyond our control. Bidders should always have a backup plan for lots they highly desire. Live participation is best, followed by phone participation. We will not reopen lots for missed bids.
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From: to: Increment:
$1 $95 $5
$100 $190 $10
$200 $475 $25
$500 $1,450 $50
$1,500 $3,400 $100
$3,500 $9,750 $250
$10,000 $30,000 $500
$30,000 up $1000
14. BID REDUCTION: All winning absentee bids will be reduced, if necessary, to the next bidding increment up from the last competing bid, as long as the minimum bid requirement has been met. For example, if you submit an absentee bid of $1000 and the next highest competing bid is $250, then you will win the lot for $275.
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17. All stock certificates, checks, warrants, and other financial documents sold herein are sold as antiquities, and have no financial, securities, or public trading value whatsoever.
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22. NON-PAYMENT: HWAC reserves the right to cancel any invoice not paid in full within 15 days. A cancelled invoice does not relieve the bidder from their obligation to pay seller fees and buyer’s premiums compensating HWAC for its services in conducting the auction. Interest shall run on all outstanding balances at the highest rate permitted by law. HWAC shall have a lien against the merchandise purchased by the bidder, and any other of bidder’s property then held by HWAC or its affiliates, to secure payment of the invoice, and with respect thereto HWAC shall have all the rights of a secured creditor under the Nevada Commercial Code, including but not limited to the right of sale. HWAC may sell the lot(s) securing the invoice to any under bidders in the auction that the lot(s) appeared, or at subsequent private or public sale, or relist the lot(s) in a future auction conducted by HWAC. A defaulting bidder agrees to pay for the reasonable costs of resale (including a 10% seller’s commission, if consigned to an auction conducted by HWAC). The defaulting bidder is liable to pay any difference between his or her total original invoice for the lot(s), plus any applicable interest, and the net proceeds for the lot(s) if sold at private sale or the subsequent hammer price of the lot(s) less the 10% seller’s commissions, if sold at an HWAC auction. If HWAC refers any invoice to an attorney for collection, the bidder agrees to pay attorney’s fees, court costs, and other collection costs incurred by HWAC. Any bidder who fails to follow the terms of payment will be reported to iCollector and may be barred from participating in future Holabird Western Americana auctions.
23. CONDITION: We strongly recommend that you attend the live preview to see lots in their entirety. Conditions are not always noted, and large lots may not be itemized due to catalog restraints. For questions, detailed information, or additional images of any lot please contact our office at 775-851-1859. Bidders are responsible for understanding the condition of items. Conditions noted are subjective, and may differ person to person. High resolution images of all items are available online for inspection. HWAC is not responsible for condition discrepancies; it is the bidders responsibility to determine condition prior to bidding.
24. RETURN POLICY: All items are guaranteed to be authentic unless otherwise noted. If authenticity is challenged, please call our office for assistance. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. You may only return any piece that was significantly inaccurately described by calling our office within 10 days of receipt of item(s) and notifying us of the error and reason for return. We do not refund postage or insurance. Please call us if you require a more specific condition report. Any items that are returned must be returned in the exact, unaltered condition. When we receive your bids we will assume you have read the description in the catalog, viewed the image of the item, have contacted us regarding any questions you may have on any lot and/or have previewed the lot in person.
25. This sale is being held under the laws of the State of Nevada.
26. HWAC shall not be held responsible for any problem due to the bidder’s failure to follow the rules, terms and conditions of this sale, or any failure to bid due to the loss of the online auction process provided by any of the online auction networks; or missed bids, changed bids or cancelled due the bidder’s failure to follow the proper bidding procedure outlined herein.
27. By placing a bid or otherwise participating in the auction, Bidder accepts these Terms and Conditions, and specifically agrees to the dispute resolution provided herein.
28. HWAC shall not be responsible for consequential damages, incidental damages, compensatory damages, or any other damages arising or claimed to be arising from the auction on any lot. Bidder’s sole remedy for any proven act or omission shall be rescission of sale and refund of the amount paid by Bidder.
29. Any claim, dispute, or controversy in connection with, relating to and/or arising out of the Auction, participation in the Auction, award of lots, damages of claims to lots, descriptions, condition reports, provenance, estimates, return and warranty rights, any interpretation of these Terms and Conditions, any alleged verbal modification of these Terms and Conditions and/or any purported settlement shall be exclusively heard by, and the parties consent to exclusive in personal jurisdiction of, the Superior Court of Washoe County, Nevada. THE PARTIES EXPRESSLY WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY. Any claim must be brought within one (1) year of the auction from which the claim arose or the claim is waived. In every case, the prevailing party shall be entitled to an award of its attorney’s fees and costs.