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NC - Cabarrus County,1902 - Reed Gold and Copper Mining Company Stock Certificate - Fenske Collectio

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 600.00 USD
NC - Cabarrus County,1902 - Reed Gold and Copper Mining Company Stock Certificate - Fenske Collectio
Session D is a Mail-Bid Only Auction. Absentee bids will be accepted only. No live bidding will be allowed. All winners will be contacted after the auction. BIDDING ENDS MONDAY JUNE 27 AT 5PM PACIFIC TIME!!!
Incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey in 1901. No. 106, issued for 50 shares to C.P. Mellows on February 3, 1902. Signed by J.H. Downing as President and A.S.J. Gammon as Treasurer. Large vignette of 12 miners using sluice boxes and high-powered water hoses at center top. Ornate green border and black print with gilt seal at lower left. U/C. Printer: The J.C. Hall Co. Prov. R.I. & S.F. The Reed Mine was the site of the first gold discovery in the U. S. in 1799, and for that it assumes a significance proportionally larger than the value of nuggets and ore found near Little Meadow Creek and the adjoining hills [http://www.rocksandminerals.com/reedmine.htm]. In fact, the Reed Mine began the country's gold mining industry. Conrad Reed, son of John Reed, originally found a 17 lb. "rock" near Little Meadow Creek, and originally thought worthless, but by 1806 mining operations had become sophisticated enough that miners were using mercury to separate the finer particles of gold from the sand. By the 1820s, enough gold was produced in NC that the community began requesting a U. S. government mint be opened in Charlotte to produce coinage. Following John Reed's death in 1845 the property changed hands several times, but ultimately ran into a basic economic problem: low-grade ore compared with what was being found in the west, along with the high cost of producing the gold and water shortages. After a nugget weighing nearly 23 pounds troy and measuring 10 inches in length and 4 inches in diameter was found in 1896, heavy machinery including a ten-stamp mill, crusher, and steam pump were brought in. By 1903, the Reed Mine was closed, but was reopen briefly in 1911-12 for the placers and old dumps to be worked. It was noted in Stevens' 1903 Copper Handbook that a letter from the Reed Gold and Copper Mining Company was "returned unclaimed" [Ref: rocksandminerals.com/reedmine].