SOLD
15,000.00USD+ (3,750.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2023 Jun 17 @ 13:11UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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A full invoice should be emailed to the winner by the auctioneer within a day or two.
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
Conrad Weigand Silver-Gold Ingot, No. 7091
Fred N. Holabird, c2023
Important Conrad Weigand Silver-Gold ingot, x-Ford (2007), x-Rush for Gold (2008), x-Bonanza Sale (2010).
This 4.40 troy ounce ingot is .558 fine silver and .0155 fine gold, $1.41 gold and $3.17 silver, total value $4.58. There are no markings on the reverse.
This silver-gold ingot is quite different from other Conrad Weigand ingots. It is a classic dore bar from a silver-gold deposit with a significant amount of another metal, probably copper (we did not have time to test it at American Assay labs). Dore bars usually carry the major metals contained in the ore deposit in the actual original ratios of the metals found in the concentrates. Dore bars produced by mining companies usually remove the copper and iron through the use of specific fluxes. In this manner, the mining companies have a more marketable product, without the worry of deductions taken for impurities, and copper was the major impurity in nineteenth century Nevada mining.
Weigand and other Western assayers were known for making approximate five ounce silver ingots for private parties. They were used to illustrate the precious metals of the mining districts, mines, and often given as presentation ingots to friends and family. Additionally, small precious metal ingots were regularly used in exhibitions, were used in mining camp community prizes and other events or occasions, rendering the ingot as a lifetime keepsake. Evidence of these facts are seen in this very catalog- where a large Ruhling ingot was given to a third party as evidenced in an 1860s photograph; a silver ingot was used as a presentation piece from person to person; and a unique photographic remembrance ingot was given to a favorite person. A CDV in this sale shows three small ingots that were clearly prized by the owner.
This ingot was made by Wiegand from dore bullion or crushed ore from an unknown specific mine, probably for the mine owner, who did not see the need to stamp either his name or the mine the ore came from. At this point in time, some fifteen years removed from my lengthy article in Rush for Gold (2008) on Wiegand, I think the origin of this ingot may not be the Comstock, but an outlier mining district. The silver value is apparently too low for Comstock, possibly lower than any other Comstock bullion assay I've seen (note I said "possibly")
Elliott Lord mentions the mining of copper ores near the Walker River in Comstock Mining and Miners, 1883, p202, which was brought in to help in ore milling processes. George Becker, in Geology of the Comstock, 1882, p22 stated: "The amount of lead, copper, iron and zinc has never been large in the Comstock." Other early authors have cited copper coming from the north end of the Comstock, but never in great quantity.
It thus must be assumed that this dore ingot is the product of a prospector's ore, brought into the public, independent assayer, for rendering into a bullion bar. Most of the assayers worked for specific mining companies, who were all producing regularly and required their own assay lab. Many examples of bullion receipts from mine assay offices are in this sale, as are many bullion receipts from independent public assayers, who wrote the mine or mill name on the receipt. Unfortunately for all, I do not think a matched pair of ingot and bullion receipt exist today. Was it a keepsake? Was it for exhibition at a brokerage firm to raise money? Was it for a public exhibition or fair? We will never know.
Now- on the subject of fake Western assay bars. Karl Moulton and I have had significant time discussing and researching this very subject. Yes, there are fakes. But this bar is not one of them. Nobody in their right mind would produce a perfectly marked bar that compares nearly perfectly to the SSCA bars of 1857, not seen publicly until about 2000, with an overall low silver and gold value, let alone as an original dore bar containing copper. The bar does not have metallic pizzaz as do the fakes. It is simply too low grade. But it does have reality all over it.
Today in 2023, we have found very strong evidence of who made many of the fake assay bars. I might even say "irrefutable evidence." But that is another story for an upcoming book or two.
Auction Location:
3555 Airway Drive Suite 309, Reno, Nevada, 89511, United States
Previewing Details:
Preview
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Nevada State Sales Tax
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NSST |
8.375% |
Nevada Sales Tax |
| CSST |
7.25% |
California Sales Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
25% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
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, with 24 hours notice given to HWAC prior to pick-up.
Payment Details:
Due on receipt of invoice.
Accepted Payment Methods:
- VISA
- Master Card
- AMEX
- Discover
- Money Order/Bank Draft
- Check/Cheque
- COD (cash on delivery)
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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 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, 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.
12. RESERVES: Most of the lots in this auction are unreserved. Precious metals may be reserved at or near or slightly below spot, at the auctioneer's discretion.
13. 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.
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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.
18. We reserve the right to reject any bid we feel is not made in good faith.
19. INVOICING: Invoices are mailed or emailed within two business days after the close of all portions of the sale. Within 15 calendar days of receipt of invoice, payment is due in full to Holabird Western Americana Collections, 3555 Airway Dr., #308, Reno, NV 89511. Late fees may be added if payment arrangements are not made within those 15 days. Sales tax will be added to all sales picked-up after the auction or shipped to Nevada addresses, according to Nevada State law, unless a resale certificate is provided.
20. PAYMENT: We accept Cash, Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, Money Order/Cashier’s Check, Wire Transfer, Personal Check or 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.
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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, Live Auctioneers, Invaluable, or applicable bidding platform, 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.