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Abraham Curry Gold Watch and Coin NV - Carson City,1883 - 2012aug - Numismatic

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Abraham Curry Gold Watch and Coin NV - Carson City,1883 - 2012aug - Numismatic
Invoicing and lot pick up will NOT be available at the live auction.
The National Watch Company was founded in Illinois in 1864, and officially changed its name to the Elgin National Watch Company in 1874. The Solidarity Watch Case Company, which manufactured solid gold cases, started in 1885 and lasted until the Great Depression. The beautiful watch in this lot features a 15 jewel ELGIN NATL WATCH CO mechanism with a 6883810 serial number, which dates the mechanism to 1896. The Solidarity 14k gold hunter case and cuvette bear a “84929” serial number, which does not appear in any databases of numbers, so dating this case more specifically is difficult. It is perfectly common for watch mechanisms and watch cases to be produced by different companies. On the inside of the cuvette someone has scratched “Moobge” and “30573w”, which may indicate the person who cleaned or engraved the watch; however, no information is available to confirm the origin of these markings. The front and rear faces of the case are engraved with a beautiful and ornate rose floral pattern with small plaque shapes at the lower portion of the engraving. The front plaque is blank, and the rear plaque bears a sailboat and shore engraving. The inside of the front case is very cleanly engraved “PRESENTED TO/ ABRAM CURRY/ SUPERVISOR OF THE MINT/ CARSON CITY, NEVADA/ 10 APRIL 1883/ BY HIS/ FRIENDS”. The exceptional uniformity of the engraving, and the absolute lack of errors or inconsistencies, indicates modern, computerized engraving. The lot includes a gorgeous 13”, 14kt interlinked ring gold chain with an unmarked T-bar and 1” length bearing an 1883 10-Dollar CC gold coin, extremely fine to about uncirculated. Abram Curry died in 1873, so this watch could never have been presented to him. Some have suggested that the watch was a posthumous gift to his widow; however, the date inscribed in the watch conflicts with the serial numbers of both the case and the watch mechanism. A thorough search of print and online archives has returned no records of any commemorative watches given to either Curry or his family. This lot concludes with a small CHARLES CURRY./ CARSON CITY business card.

- Jacobitz Collection -59974