2001

San Francisco,CA - February 8 ,1854 - Adams & Co Assay Receipt No. 416 :

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Documents Start Price:1,250.00 USD Estimated At:2,500.00 - 3,500.00 USD
San Francisco,CA - February 8 ,1854 - Adams & Co Assay Receipt No. 416 :
The assay results are printed on thin blue Adams & Co ledger measuring 7 ¾” x 9 ¾” ¾.” The names of Adams & Co. and those of Curtis, Perry & Ward are preprinted on the “form.” However, Curtis, Perry, & Ward have been lined out and Kellogg & Richter written in above. Curtis, Perry & Ward managed the new US Assay Office In San Francisco for John Moffat, and later ran it independently after he retired. They produced the exceptionally famous octagonal $50 slugs, and later, after tremendous political turmoil following the unexpected death of President Andrew Jackson and subsequent appointment of President Millard Fillmore, were finally allowed to make $10 and $20 coins. The trio sold their equipment to the US Mint, where it was installed in the new United States Branch Mint at San Francisco that opened for business in 1854. Ephemera from this short-lived mint and assay operation is exceptionally rare. The depositor was A.A. Van Grulder Esq. Signed “Adams & Co by Woods.” Woods refers to I.C. Woods who would eventually lead the company into bankruptcy. Assay results were the following: Weight before melting: 2,050 dwt. Loss in melting: 54 dwt. Nett: 1,996 dwt. Fineness: .866. Commission: 2¼ per cent or $40.20. Nett proceeds: $1,746.40. There are several arithmetic problems written on the lower left side, slight discoloration along the left edge and creases from previous folds. The reverse is blank. Very Good to Fine Condition.