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C. Whitney's Comstock Candlestick NV - Virginia City,Storey County - c1922 - 2012aug - Mining Hard g

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 2,000.00 USD
C. Whitney's Comstock Candlestick NV - Virginia City,Storey County - c1922 - 2012aug - Mining Hard g
Invoicing and lot pick up will NOT be available at the live auction.
If you look at the thumb lever of this stick, you can see the name C. WHITNEY inscribed on the side. It is very possible that this candlestick belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, son of Gertrude Vanderbilt and Harry Payne Whitney. In 1919 H.P. was approached by 2 young mining inventors interested in expanding and developing the South end of the Comstock. Ray Hardy and Alex Wise saw the area to be a promising mining investment and they contacted H.P. to be investor in helping to acquire different mines in the area. “In 1920 the United Comstock Mines Co. was organized as a subsidiary of Harry Payne’s Metals Exploration Co.” Major players of the mining community like Roscoe Channing, became members of the board for this new company. Shortly after graduating from Yale in 1922, the young C.V. Whitney moved to Nevada and took up a job as an underground mining sampler for one of the mines. Although the idea seemed promising, the ore proved to be an issue. It was extremely sticky and required more labor then was anticipated, causing business costs to rise. In addition, silver dropped from $1 an ounce in 1920 to 67c in 1924. The parent company, Metals Exploration Co., decided to move operations to Canada. The new company was named the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Limited. C.V. served as served as chairman of the board until 1964. The stick measures about 13.” Some wear, but overall in very good condition. RCS 14. Not in Wilson [REF: Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, Encyclopedia Britannica Online, 2012], [Ref: The History Of The Comstock Lode, Grant Horace Smith and Joseph V. Tingley, 1994, pp 290-3]. - Ken & Rosemary Roberts Collection -59314