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Horace Tabor's Candlestick CO - Leadville,Lake County - 2012aug - Mining Hard goods/Important Mining

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:25,000.00 USD Estimated At:50,000.00 - 75,000.00 USD
Horace Tabor's Candlestick CO - Leadville,Lake County - 2012aug - Mining Hard goods/Important Mining
Invoicing and lot pick up will NOT be available at the live auction.
This is possibly one of the best pieces in the collection and arguably one of the most important miner’s candlesticks ever made. It was made for Horace Tabor also known as “The Bonanza King of Leadville” by his own blacksmith. Tabor was born in Vermont in 1830. As a young man he spent time working a variety of different jobs including mining in Maine’s and Massachusetts’s queries and farming in Kansas. Word of gold began to spread in 1859, so Tabor and his new wife moved out West with other “Fifty-Niners” and settled in Buckskin Joe, CO. For a short time, the couple ran a store before moving again to Oro City, where Tabor tried unsuccessfully to find gold. The couple moved once again to Leadville, where Tabor contained to mine for gold but also took an interested in local politics and even served as mayor for a year. 1878 proved to be Tabor’s lucky year, the "Little Pittsburg" mine proved to have masses silver lodes setting off the Colorado Silver Boom. Tabor was a partial owner of the mine and sold his interests in other mines for several millions. With his newfound wealth, Tabor began to invest in several business including banks and opera houses, and was elected Lieutenant Governor of Colorado for one term. At this time however, Tabor’s personal life was becoming just as well known. After finally divorcing his first wife, the 53 year- old Tabor married the 28 year-old Elizabeth "Baby Doe" McCourt in public ceremony in Washington D.C. The couple’s union was the cause for great gossip in 1880s Colorado. While Tabor seemed to have it all, it wasn’t set to last forever. Once the richest man in Colorado, Tabor would lose it all in 1893 and die only a shell of the man he once was. The stick measures at 11” and made out steel with very little wear. According to Wendell and Bobrink only two identical examples are known, one is incomplete, thus making this piece a beautiful rarity. This steel candlestick displays fantastic workmanship with small mining accents. Incorporated in the design are a crossed pick, hammer and drill set displayed on the handle, along with an anvil on the thimble. Wendell and Bobrink explain the design; “the spilt thimble follows the principle of the Kindelan patent and the flame snuffer is similar to that of the Washburn patent but with a loop to reduce tension pressure on the candle… superb craftsmanship make this a prime example of the fancy candlestick.” Another version of this candlestick is owned and on display at the National Mining Museum in Leadville, Colorado. Wilson 191, RCS 40. - Ken & Rosemary Roberts Collection -59198