2573

William Ralston, Bank of California Letters (1): Isaac Requa Signed Letter, Chollar-Potosi Mining Co

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Mining Start Price:250.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 1,000.00 USD
William Ralston, Bank of California Letters (1): Isaac Requa Signed Letter, Chollar-Potosi Mining Co
SOLD
475.00USD+ (114.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2017 Jul 09 @ 16:48UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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Requa signed checks are fairly uncommon, but a Requa signed letter on letterhead is very RARE (this is the first we’ve had in 40 yrs). And the content is historically significant. The letter is written to William Ralston, head of the Bank of California, "I have a few dollars unemployed. Was thinking of getting hold of five or ten hundred shares Bank of Cal. stock. My idea in writing you, is to ask you whether I can get any of the shares. And the price. Also will you be kind enough to give me what information you can consistently impart relative to the whole matter."



We are not sure what the outcome of this letter was as Ralston has penciled in, "What shall we say to this. WCR" We do know that Requa continued his relationship with the Bank and its supporters. Requa was evidently allowed to “buy into” the Bank, as was later listed along with D.O. Mills and other notable figures as an executive of the Bank.



Isaac Requa (1828-1905) was a California Gold Rush miner, Comstock mining man, California millionaire, and railroad tycoon (President of the CPRR 1899), with the majority of his money made on the Comstock. In 1872 he was the superintendent for the Chollar-Potosi Mine - a position he held from almost two decades. The Chollar-Potosi would be one of the five largest producing mines on the Comstock ["Nevada's Metal and Mineral Production" by Couch and Carpenter], so it would make sense that Requa had "a few dollars unemployed."



The second part of this letter reflects Requa's concern over the Chollar Mine's recent yield, "Chollar mine is 'hung up.' Thirty days have passed since we took ore from the mine. Appearances indicate that sixty days more will go by before operations will by fully resumed." Yet the Mining and Scientific Press reported on July 6, 1872 that the Chollar-Potosi had a large daily yield of 215 tons with the west Blue Wing body which had recently been opened. At the time, the Gold Hill bonanza had been hit and was running. In 1872, the District produced well in excess of $10 million, while the main Comstock District in VC produced just over $2m. By 1875, the Big Bonanza hit, with production in VC alone at over $15m, just under Gold Hill’s $17m the year before. Requa, who probably owned a considerable portion of Chollar-Potosi stock, as well as stock from other Comstock region mines, was in an excellent position to purchase private stock of the Bank, if they would let him.



This letter is perhaps one of the few, if not only, known letter from a major Comstock Mining Engineer to request to buy stock in the privately held Bank of California. The Requa papers are held at the Huntington Library. Requa is sometimes confused with the Janin Brothers, Comstock Mining Engineers of the same period, who received their education at the Freiberg School of Mines.

State: Nevada City: Virginia City HWAC#: 48806 Date: 1872