SOLD
2,000.00USD+ (390.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2014 Sep 14 @ 13:45UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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This bar probably dates from the early to mid 1870's, and was found with the Victor Beardry ingot. 24" x 4 1/1" x 3". Is about eighty Pounds. In excellent condition. The Union was the most important mine in Cerro Gordo. It began production early in the 1860's as one of the first discoveries in the district. Massive silver bearing galena was produced here for about 20 years until the ores began to run out. A smelter was built nearby at Swansea, but most of the ores produced in later years went to Selby Lead in the Bay area for refining. These bars were probably headed for Selby and produced from the later period, as they carry only a small amount of silver, typical of deeper mining at Cerro Gordo. Holabird Western Americana had an assay of a similar ingot in a previous auction completed by bullion analysis. Bullion analyses are the only acceptable method of assay of ingots in the mining and metallurgy businesses. These special assays measure specific amounts of separated metals in a specific sample size allowing very specific calculations of metal content. Settlements between mining companies and the smelter and refiners are only made with bullion analyses. That ingot carries 0.001% gold, 0.578% silver, 97.78% lead, 1.17% copper. The remainder was probably zinc, for which no analyses was done. Zinc is the usual accessory metal in silver-lead deposits. The silver contained within that ingot was about 7 troy ounces. The gold was negligible, but present. The presence of gold, copper and probable zinc shows that ingot to be a classic mine silver-lead ore bar, an ingot poured at the mine. The analysis was made by drilling eleven holes in the back of the ingot. This is a classic Inyo ingot, remnant of a very famous mining camp.
Overview of Cerro Gordo Ingots (Lots 1156 and 1157)
These rare ingots were a classic discovery about 40 years ago. A gentleman found about 11 Cerro Gordo ingots on the surface of Owens Lake after it first dried up, using a metal detector. There were about 4 different company names stamped into the bars using embossed moulds similar to ones in this section of the sale. The bars have since been disbursed to museums and collections.
Cerro Gordo is a mining camp tucked in the Inyo range at an elevation of about 8500 feet. In an article in the Mining and Scientific Press in 1874, the author described it thus: “Cerro Gordo is 8250 feet above the level of the sea. The winter has been very severe, not having thawed for eighty days. Shocks of earthquakes are very frequent but do little or no damage.” The mining camp itself got its start in the late 1860’s, after many prospectors had discovered silver ores there in the early 1860’s. A number of the early mines were worked by Mexicans, and there is a good chance the property as a whole was discovered by Mexican miners before 1860.
Cerro Gordo was in full production by 1868 after an influx of cash by Mortimer Belshaw and Victor Beaudry, who both built large scale smelters at Cerro Gordo, completed in 1868. Belshaw was a successful assayer in Fiddletown, California in the heart of the Mother Lode Country. Beaudry was a prominent Los Angeles business man. Belshaw’s furnace was the first completed. It was announced that “On March 17 M. E. Belshaw and E. Jordan started the first lead-silver smelter on the Pacific Coast, running ever since.” It was further reported that more than 10,000 tons of silver-lead had been shipped to Selby, the private precious metals smelter and refiner located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, about 20 miles north of Oakland.
The two new smelters were processing lead-silver ores from Cerro Gordo’s largest mines, the Union and the Ignacio. Production was so large that the smelters couldn’t keep up. A competitor company with a mine right next door to the Union built a new smelter at the foot of the mountains on the north shore of Owens Lake, a massive lake filling a fertile valley about twenty five miles long and ten miles wide. The competing company was the Owens Lake Silver Lead Company, formed in 1870 by New York capitalists. They built the new smelter at Swansea.
At one time, the base bullion produced by the various furnaces at Cerro Gordo and Swansea was about 12.5 tons per day per smelter for the three smelters. The bullion from the Union and San Ignacio was worth about $115 in silver and $90 in lead per ton. It was reported that the lead paid the cost of transportation to San Francisco, and the smelting and refining cost $25 per ton leaving a profit of about $90 per ton. The cost of mining was not included in the information.
City: Cerro GordoCounty: Inyo CountyState: CADate:
Auction Location:
3555 Airway Drive Suite 309, Reno, Nevada, 89511, United States
Nevada Satte Sales Tax
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NSST |
7.75% |
Nevada Sales Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
19.5% |
Additional Fees:
| Fee | Amount | Applicable Locations | Applied To |
| Handling Fee |
5.00
|
Not Applicable
|
This fee applies to the total of the invoice
|
Shipping Details:
No Info Available
Payment Details:
Due on receipt of invoice.
Accepted Payment Methods:
- VISA
- Master Card
- Discover
- Money Order/Bank Draft
- Check/Cheque
- COD (cash on delivery)
- PayPal
- Wire Transfer
Great American Treasure Hunt
Absentee Bidding will end
Friday, September 12, 2014 at 5pm PDT,
Internet bids accepted any time
Terms and Conditions
1. This is a Live Auction conducted by Holabird’s Western Americana Collections (HWAC).
2. Live (Floor) Bidding: Please arrive a few minutes early to check in and receive your bidding paddle. We will open lots with more than one bid at the current high absentee bid or 50% of the low estimate at the auctioneer’s discretion. Please be sure to bid on the correct lots during the live auction. Our auction progress is at a rate of between 100 and 200 lots per hour. When the auctioneer says “sold”, he will identify the successful bidder by number and announce the winning bid amount. If you are not sure whether you won the lot or not, it is your responsibility to ask for clarification immediately. Auctioneer reserves the right to reopen the lot in the case of an immediate dispute at the actual time of the sale.
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5a. Live Auction Absentee Bidding: Absentee bids for the live auction MUST be received by 5pm pacific time the day before
the auction. Bids accepted after the cutoff time will be represented live only if an agent is available and will not be considered absentee or given first priority as such. It is your responsibility to submit all lot numbers and bid amounts accurately. Absentee bids should be equal to at least 50% of the low estimate if an estimate is provided. Bids on “No Lots” or “Withdrawn” Lots are considered no-bids. Bids made in amounts that do not conform to the bid increment table in item 8 below will be automatically rounded up or down by the computer, or rounded to the nearest proper bid increment at the discretion of the auctioneer. Absentee bids are entered into a computer which will bid live on your behalf at the auction. Absentee bids will compete live against other absentee bids, live internet bidders, floor bidders and phone bidders.
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WARNING: Auction participation through the live internet bidding site is not 100% foolproof. The technology for this process is still under development, 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.
7. Reserves: Most of the lots in this auction are unreserved. Gold is generally reserved at or near spot, though it could be slightly below spot.
8. Bidding Increments: All bids must be submitted in U.S. dollars and in whole dollar amounts only in the appropriate increments as outlined below. If you choose to submit bids in an increment not listed below, your bid will be rounded to the nearest increment and you will be expected to pay the amount to which the bid was rounded should your bid be the winning bid. If you have any questions about an appropriate bid amount, please call us.
From: To: Increment:
$1 $24 $1
$25 $95 $5
$100 $190 $10
$200 $475 $25
$500 $1,450 $50
$1,500 $3,400 $100
$3,500 $9,750 $250
$10,000 $max $500
9. 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.
10. Bid Information: Collectors often ask in advance the price level of a particular lot. We will give out the current high absentee bid until we close the day before the live auction. You may also view absentee bids online at www.holabirdamericana.com. While we try to update the absentee bids as often as necessary, bids received close to the bidding deadline might not be reflected online, and we disclaim any responsibility for any bids made in reliance upon inaccuracies on our website.
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12. 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.
13. We reserve the right to reject any bid we feel is not made in good faith.
14. The placing of a bid shall constitute the bidder’s acceptance of these terms of sale.
15. Buyer’s Premium: There will be a 19.5% Buyer’s Premium added to each lot. US coins, nuggets, and bullion are calculated at a 15% buyer’s premium. These premiums include a 3% discount for transactions paid with cash, checks, money orders or wire transfers. All other forms of payment are not subject to the 3% discount and the Buyer’s Premium will be calculated at 22.5% (18% on US coins, gold, & currency.)
16. Sales Tax: Sales tax will apply, according to state law, for any items that ship to or is picked up in Nevada (7.725%) unless a current, valid resale certificate is faxed to us at 775-851-1834 before bids are placed.
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18. Payment: We accept Visa, Master Card, Money Order/Cashier’s Check, Personal Check or PayPal. A 3% cash discount is automatically calculated to the Buyer’s Premium on all sales. That discount will be reversed if payment is made with a credit card or through PayPal. All returned checks are subject to a $25 fee. Cash received in amounts greater than $10,000 is subject to the filing of IRS form 8300, as required by law.
19. Shipping: Shipping will be estimated prior to invoicing, based on the size and weight of your purchase. Additional shipping fees may be invoiced separately. The buyer is responsible for arranging and paying for shipment of large or special items. A $5 handling fee will be included in the shipping charge. The customer is responsible for all shipping charges. We do not ship any purchases until the auction invoice is paid in full. 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 at no extra cost to the buyer. Federal Express shipments will be sent the Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday following receipt of payment. Pick up is available from our Reno office the next business day after the auction. 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.
20. 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 underbidders 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’s Western Americana auctions.
21. 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 in the opinion of different people or collectors.
22. Return Policy: All items are guaranteed to be authentic unless otherwise noted. If authenticity is challenged, please call our office for assistance. You may return any piece that was significantly inaccurately described by calling our office within 15 days of receipt of item(s) and notifying us of the error and reason for return. We do not refund postage or insurance. We have attempted to describe the items and their condition accurately. If no condition is given, assume average. Please call us if you require a more specific condition report. Any items that are returned must be returned in the exact, unaltered condition. NGC certified tokens that are returned must be original, unaltered NGC holders. Any tokens removed from the original NGC/NCS certification holders or items returned in an altered condition are deemed not returnable under any circumstances. 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. Therefore, returns are only accepted if prior approval is given by Holabird’s Western Americana Collections.
23. This sale is being held under the laws of the state of Nevada, without reference to choice of law rules.
24. HWAC shall not be held responsible for any problem due to the bidders 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 bidders failure to follow the proper bidding procedure outlined herein.
25. 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.
26. 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 of
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.
27. 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 personam 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.