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Wells Fargo Mining Company Stock Certificate 1877 [163601]

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Stock & Bond - Mining Start Price:750.00 USD Estimated At:1,500.00 - 2,000.00 USD
Wells Fargo Mining Company Stock Certificate  1877  [163601]

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Wells Fargo Mining Company - Virginia District, Storey County, Nevada Stock Certificate No. 4797 for 100 shares made out to Golley & Epstein, Trustees (stockbrokers in S.F.) dated Feb. 28th, 1877. "This is one of the oldest locations in the mining section known as the North Virginia. It is situated a little less than a mile in a direct line and Eastward from the original locations on the Comstock. Formations similar to those on the Comstock are plainly traced across the dividing canon and are found in North Virginia. The situation of the Wells Fargo is directly east of the Utah, Sierra, etc. A shaft has been sunk that cut through a large ledge of promising vein matter, from which liberal assays have been made. Hoisting works have been erected, with machinery sufficient to conduct operations1200 feet, at least. No. of feet, 1500; No. of assessments, 11. Amount, 50c per share. Levied September 11, 1878. Total assessments $226,800." Reference: Pacific Coast Annual Mining Review and Stock Ledger October 1878, p. 256. Officers at this time were D. M. Seaton, president and W.M. Hellman, secretary. The Company was capitalized at $10,800,000; 108,000 shares at $100 each and incorporated in San Francisco, on January 28th, 1875. Signatures on this earlier certificate include O. (Olander) H. Bogart, Secretary and D. L. McDonald, President. Wonderful large vignette of a stagecoach showing details of six riders and driver on top, passengers inside and drawn by four horses past a smelter. The name "W. F. Mining Co." is labeled on the coach in the vignette. As of September 11th, 1878, eleven assessments had been levied for a total of $226.800. Black on white paper. Printed by Lith. G.T. Brown & Co., S.F. Grafton Tyler Brown (1841-1918) also painted landscapes of Yosemite Valley, San Francisco, and many of the "City Views" that C.C. Kuchel was noted for. He is listed with his partner W.T. Galloway in Bishop's 1876 S.F. Directory p.223. Brown was the first African American Lithographer in the West and became California's first black sketch artist. He worked first for the lithography firm of Kuchel and Dresel Company, whose specialty was views of California mining towns and mining genre. See below. Fine condition. Very scarce a few examples known. Paid $3000, Value $4000. Reference: Company is listed in Becker's Geology of the Comstock Lode and Washoe District 1882 on p. 412. also see Statistics of Mines and Mining in States and Territories West of the Rocky Mountains Eighth Annual Report of Rossiter W. Raymond 1877 (for the year ending April 13th, 1876); p. 467; San Francisco City Directory by D. M. Bishop 1876, p.194 (O.H. Bogart ref.); p.424 (Golley & Epstein: address for Emanual Epstien ); p.511 (address for Leon Golley and firm: Stock Brokers at 308 Sansome); p.1383 (G. T. Brown & Co. Lithographers, 540 Clay); p. 1401 (Wells Fargo Mining - S.F. Office at 328 Montgomery). Also, McKenney's Business Directory for 1878 p. p. 671 (for Golly & Epstein, Stock Brokers at 417 California St.). The Alexandra Tillson Filer Collection, item 689, p. 118. Grafton Tyler Brown (1841-1918) also painted landscapes of Yosemite Valley, San Francisco, and other California locales. He is listed with his partner W.T. Galloway in Bishop's 1876 S.F. Directory p.223. Brown was the first African American Lithographer. Brown is considered the first professional African American artist and lithographer in California. "Born of free ancestry in Pennsylvania, Brown His family were freed slaves who moved from Maryland in 1837 and arrived in San Francisco from Pennsylvania in the early 1860s. He was able to find work as a lithographer in San Francisco at the firm of Kuchel and Dresel Company where he specialized in "bird's-eye" city views. He bought the business in 1866, renaming it G.T. Brown & Co. (See Henry G. Langley's San Francisco Business Directory for 1866 which locates G.T. Brown at 543 Cla, p.512; previous directories list this address for C.C. Kuchel). His early creations consisted of illustrating and documenting the settlements, gold-rush towns, and ranches that were springing up in the territories surrounding San Francisco. This served as part of the commercialization of the developing nation. Although his business as a commercial draftsman was successful, Brown sold it in 1879 and in 1882 left the Bay Area for Canada, where many Blacks found a more racially tolerant environment. Brown turned to paint as his primary medium and began to focus on the beauty of the Canadian landscape. By 1885 the Pacific Northwest and its mountainous landscapes inspired him to paint his most noteworthy pieces. Brown's soft palette fills his nature-drenched vistas with awe-inspiring majesty. This was a quality that characterized his grand landscapes. Brown frequently included railroad tracks and ferryboats in his landscapes, which serve as subtle but poignant reminders of the encroachment of civilization." Reference: San Francisco Lithographer- African American Artist Grafton Tyler Brown by Robert J. Chandler, 2014. Also, The St. James Guide to Black Artists, Edited by Thomas Riggs; 1997, St. James Press, Detroit, MI Virginia City Nevada Franklin Collection