SOLD
14,500.00USD+ (2,827.50) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2012 Aug 18 @ 16:33UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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A full invoice should be emailed to the winner by the auctioneer within a day or two.
Invoicing and lot pick up will NOT be available at the live auction.
This small silver ingot came from the same collection as the Butte silver ingot. It is hand engraved with the names of “L.C. Gillett and C.S. Gillett, August 21, 1874, Silver City, Nev.” With a value of “$10.22” stamped on the bar. It has a high polish on all sides and the end edges are rounded. This bar has been quite difficult in research. The engraving appears to be original to the 1870’s period, as does the bar itself, though it is not exactly the same as all assayer bars. As such, it would seem to represent a special occasion for the two people mentioned on the bar. I originally thought this was a bar commemorating a marriage. I searched the following newspapers for 1874 for any record of such a marriage–or any event whatsoever–both with the surname spelled with and without an “e” at the end: Lyon County Times (Silver City. 1874 was its first year of publication.), Gold Hill News (Alf Doten, Editor), Virginia Chronicle (Virginia City), Territorial Enterprise (Virginia City). Additionally, I searched the Alf Doten Journals (3 vols), and every Census from 1870 to 1900, also using the two different spellings and checking for either person, with and without a middle initial. Of these newspapers, the Gold Hill News was the best at reporting marriages, though I suspect not all were publicly recorded. Records from the two Silver City churches are no longer extant (Catholic and Episcopal). All local directories were also searched. All newspapers were also searched for notices of arrival and departure (normally reserved for stage coaches only). All foreign passenger lists were checked. I was only able to find a single record in all of this: a property record of L. C. Gillett in Westfield, Massachusetts owning personal and business property on S Street in 1870 only, as it was found on a property map of the period. While a different Gillett did work at the Savage Mine in Virginia City during this period, it is neither of these two people.
The Gillett surname appears to be of English origin.
There are several conclusions that can be drawn from this research:
The people were married in Silver City and moved to another remote mining camp, outside of a directory canvas. An example might be American Flat, near Silver City.
The people were killed or died before the 1880 census, and were under 21 or so for the 1870 Census and were missed as members of another household.
The people on the ingot were foreign, visiting the region by train, having come to America on a ship that did not participate in published passenger lists.
The ingot was likely made by Harvey Harris of Silver City, a well known assayer formerly of the New Orleans Mint and the San Francisco Mint. It may also have been engraved by the only jeweler in town, A. Barrelet. The latter would explain the departure from the usual Harris ingot format.
During this period, Silver City was enjoying a boom, courtesy of the Crown Point Bonanza discovery at Gold Hill, just up the canyon from Silver City. The great bonanza of the Con-Virginia was discovered the next year. At the time, it was primarily a “bedroom” community that housed miners, millmen and a mining support community. The businesses included blacksmith shops, hotel or boarding houses (Mansion House, Bonanza Hotel, Silver House, Sierra Nevada), saloons (Oasis and 3 others), drug store (A.B. Stewart-see his drug bottle for Bodie in this sale), dress shop, telegraph office, Railroad depot for the V&T RR, barber shop, bakery, market, Wells Fargo office (John W. Grier, agent), newspaper office, Lumber, Chinese Laundry, brewery, book store, boots & shoes. What is not there were a bank, bath house, dentist, insurance agent. Regardless, this is one of only a few ingots from Silver City (less than five) and as such is very collectible.
-60323
Auction Location:
Atlantis Casino Resort ~ 3800 S. Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada, 89502, United States
Previewing Details:
Preview:
Holabird-Kagin Americana Office
3555 Airway Drive Suite#309
Reno, NV 89511
(Full preview, all items will be available for viewing)
Thursday - August 16, 12pm-6pm
Atlantis Casino & Resort
(Partial preview. Some of the oversized items will not be available for previewing at the Atlantis)
Friday Aug 17, 10am-6pm
Saturday Aug 18, 10am-6pm
Sales tax will apply, according to state law, for any items that ship to Nevada or California or are picked
up at our Reno, Nevada location, unless a current, valid re-sale certificate is provided at the time of
purchase.
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NST |
7.725% |
Nevada Sales Tax: |
| CST |
9% |
California Sales Tax: |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
19.5% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
Shipping: Shipping will be estimated prior to invoicing, based on the size and weight of your purchase. Additional shipping fees may be invoiced seperately. The buyer is responsible for arranging and paying for shipment of large or special items. A $5 handling fee will be included in the shipping charge. The customer is responsible for all shipping charges. We do not ship any purchases until the auction invoice is paid in full. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers, Federal Express or the US Postal Service. All items shipped Federal Express will be insured for the full value determined at auction by Holabird-Kagin Americana at no extra cost to the buyer. Federal Express shipments will be sent the Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday following receipt of payment. Pick up is available from our Reno office the next business day after the auction. NOTE: Some shipments (of unusual size, dimension, or weight) may require special handling for which individual costs will be calculated and applied to the shipping charge on the invoice.
Payment Details:
We accept Visa, Master Card, Money Order/Cashiers Check, Person Check, PayPal: HKAEbayRep@yahoo.com. A 3% discount is applied to the Buyer’s Premium on all sales. That discount will be reversed if payment is made with a credit card or through PayPal.
Accepted Payment Methods:
- VISA
- Master Card
- Money Order/Bank Draft
- Check/Cheque
- PayPal
Terms and Conditions
1. This is a Live Auction.
2. Live (Floor) Bidding: Please arrive a few minutes early to check in and receive your bidding paddle. We will open lots with more than one bid at the current high absentee bid or 50% of the low estimate at the auctioneer’s discretion. Please be sure to bid on the correct lots during the live auction. Our auction progress is at a rate of between 100 and 200 lots per hour. When the auctioneer says “sold”, he will identify the successful bidder by number and announce the winning bid amount. If you are not sure whether you won the lot or not, it is your responsibility to ask for clarification immediately. Tie bids are awarded to the first absentee bid placed if not advanced on the floor, or by a phone bidder, whoever is first. Auctioneer reserves the right to reopen the lot in the case of an immediate dispute at the actual time of the sale.
3. Telephone Bidding: Telephone bidding requests MUST be scheduled prior to this auction. If you do not schedule in advance, and choose instead to call on the day of the auction to request a line for bidding, you may find that we are unable to accommodate your request. Please limit your telephone bids to items of value greater than $500, or to a string of items with a similar total.
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5. Live Auction Absentee Bidding: Absentee bids for the live auction will be accepted until Thursday, August 16, 2012 at 5pm PST. It is your responsibility to submit all lot numbers and bid amounts accurately. Absentee bids should be equal to at least 50% of the low estimate if an estimate is provided. Bids on “No Lots” or “Withdrawn” Lots are considered no-bids. Bids made in amounts that do not conform to the bid increment table in item 8 below will be automatically rounded up or down by the computer, or rounded to the nearest proper bid increment at the discretion of the auctioneer.
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WARNING: Auction participation through the live internet bidding site is not 100% foolproof. The technology for this process is still under review and development, and the operation of it, and the corresponding internet connectivity issues are far beyond our control. Some folks have attempted to use the live internet bidding process as their primary method of bidding, and have been quite successful. Others have failed completely. Depending upon your computer, server, host and other factors, internet signals may be delayed, such that bids may not be received in time. We cannot be held responsible for these delays, or for the lack of placed bids in a timely manner, or any other factors leading to unaccepted bids that are far beyond our control. Bidders should always have a backup plan for lots they highly desire. Live participation is best, followed by phone participation. We will not reopen lots for missed bids.
7. Reserves: Most of the lots in this auction are unreserved. Gold is generally reserved at or near spot, though it could be slightly below spot.
8. Bidding Increments: All bids must be submitted in U.S. dollars and in whole dollar amounts only in the appropriate increments as outlined below. IF you choose to submit bids in an increment not listed below, your bid will be rounded to the nearest increment and you will be expected to pay the amount to which the bid was rounded should your bid be the winning bid. If you have any questions about an appropriate bid amount, please call us.
From: To: Increment:
$0 $29 $1
$30 $95 $5
$100 $190 $10
$200 $475 $25
$500 $1,450 $50
$1,500 $3,400 $100
$3,500 $9,750 $250
$10,000 $max $500
9. Bid Reduction: All winning absentee bids will be reduced, if necessary, to the next bidding increment up from the last competing bid, as long as the minimum bid requirement has been met. For example, if you submit an absentee bid of $1000 and the next highest competing bid is $250, then you will win the lot for $275.
10. Bid Information: Collectors often ask in advance the price level of a particular lot. We will give out the current high absentee bid until we close the day before the live auction. You may also view absentee bids online at www.holabirdamericana.com.
11. Bid Cancellation: If you wish to cancel or change a bid after you have submitted your bids to us due to an error, you MUST PHONE us to advise us of this. Bid cancellations through mail, email, or fax are not advisable. Errors are easy to make and we are happy to assist all callers.
12. All stock certificates, checks, warrants, and other financial documents sold herein are sold as antiquities, and have no financial, securities, or public trading value whatsoever.
13. We reserve the right to reject any bid we feel is not made in good faith.
14. The placing of a bid shall constitute the bidder’s acceptance of these terms of sale.
15. Buyer’s Premium: There will be a 19.5% Buyer’s Premium added to each lot. US coins, nuggets, and bullion are calculated at a 15% buyer’s premium. These premiums includes a 3% discount for transactions paid with cash, checks, money orders or wire transfers. All other forms of payment are not subject to the 3% discount and the Buyer’s Premium will be calculated at 22.5% (18% on US coins, gold, & currency.)
16. Sales Tax: Sales tax will apply, according to state law, for any items that ship to Nevada (7.725%) or California (9.0%) unless a current, valid resale certificate is faxed to us at 775-852-8866 before bids are placed.
17. Invoicing: Shipping charges will be added to all invoices. Invoices are mailed or emailed within two business days after the close of all portions of the sale. Within 15 days of receipt of invoice, payment is due in full to Holabird-Kagin Americana, 3555 Airway Dr., #308, Reno, NV 89511. We accept cash, personal checks, money orders, wire transfers, etc. All returned checks are subject to a $25 fee. Cash received in amounts greater than $10,000 is subject to the filing of IRS form 8300, as required by law. Sales tax will be added to all sales picked-up after the auction or shipped to California or Nevada addresses, according to state law, unless a resale certificate is provided.
18. Payment: We accept Visa, Master Card, Money Order/Cashier’s Check, Personal Check, PayPal: HKAEbayRep@yahoo.com. A 3% discount is applied to the Buyer’s Premium on all sales. That discount will be reversed if payment is made with a credit card or through PayPal.
19. Shipping: Shipping will be estimated prior to invoicing, based on the size and weight of your purchase. Additional shipping fees may be invoiced seperately. The buyer is responsible for arranging and paying for shipment of large or special items. A $5 handling fee will be included in the shipping charge. The customer is responsible for all shipping charges. We do not ship any purchases until the auction invoice is paid in full. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers, Federal Express or the US Postal Service. All items shipped Federal Express will be insured for the full value determined at auction by Holabird-Kagin Americana at no extra cost to the buyer. Federal Express shipments will be sent the Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday following receipt of payment. Pick up is available from our Reno office the next business day after the auction. NOTE: Some shipments (of unusual size, dimension, or weight) may require special handling for which individual costs will be calculated and applied to the shipping charge on the invoice.
20. Return Policy: All items are guaranteed to be authentic. If authenticity is challenged, please call our office for assistance. You may return any piece that was significantly inaccurately described by calling our office within one week of receipt of item(s) and notifying us of the error and reason for return. We do not refund postage or insurance. We have attempted to describe the items and their condition accurately. If no condition is given, assume average. Please call us if you require a more specific condition report. Any items that are returned must be returned in the exact, unaltered condition. NGC certified tokens that are returned must be original, unaltered NGC holders. Any tokens removed from the original NGC/NCS certification holders or items returned in an altered condition are deemed not returnable under any circumstances. When we receive your bids we will assume you have read the description in the catalog, viewed the image of the item, have contacted us regarding any questions you may have on any lot and/or have previewed the lot in person. Therefore, returns are only accepted if prior approval is given by Holabird-Kagin Americana.
21. This sale is being held under the laws of the states of Nevada and California.
22. Neither Kagin’s, Inc. nor its subsidiary auction company Holabird-Kagin Americana shall not be held responsible for any problem due to the bidders failure to follow the rules, terms and conditions of this sale, or any failure to bid due to the loss of the online auction process provided by any of the online auction networks; or missed bids, changed bids or cancelled due the bidders failure to follow the proper bidding procedure outlined herein.