10478

Riehn, Hemme Assayers, San Francisco, Silver Ingo

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:16,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
Riehn, Hemme Assayers, San Francisco, Silver Ingo
<B>Riehn, Hemme Assayers, San Francisco, Silver Ingot, ca. 1862-1882.</B></I> Charles F. Riehn and August Hemme opened an assaying business in late 1862 or early 1863. The company had an office in the heart of the San Francisco financial district at 432 Montgomery near the corner of Montgomery and California, directly across the street from the Wells, Fargo & Co.'s bank and express office. Prominent gold rush assayers Henry Hentsch and Francis Berton also had an office in the same building as Riehn and Hemme, possibly across the hall, but moved out within the next year. Riehn & Hemme's lab and processing facilities were located at 408 Montgomery and 1 Sumner Street. By the end of the Civil War in 1865, Riehne & Hemme were one of a dozen assaying firms in San Francisco.<BR> Riehn & Hemme's business was right in the middle of the mining sector of the business section of San Francisco. The building directly across the street at 422 Montgomery housed no fewer than a half dozen mining stock brokers. Orville Ames, and three others, ran a mining stock brokerage next door. Charles Sutro, Adolph's brother, ran a gold dust and bullion brokerage business located immediately across the street from Riehn & Hemme. Kellogg & Hewston, perhaps the best known California gold rush assay firm of the period, was located just a few doors down the street at 416 Montgomery.<BR> In the early 1870s, Riehn & Hemme centralized their business to the 404 Montgomery location, where they stayed for another decade, until selling out to F. Reichling about early 1882. The two decades they were in business was a long stretch for any California assay firm.<BR> This rectangular ingot shows irregularities from the silver pour and cooling, as usual. The topside reads: No 1548 / RIEHN, HEMME / & CO / ASSAYERS / 9.22. Oz / $9.57. SIL / $0.19 GO / $9.75. One of the long sides reads: SILV. 803 FINE. The other long side reads: GOLD 001 FINE. The back of the ingot has an indistinct revenue stamp.<BR><I>Accompanying this ingot is an assay receipt for another ingot, but it does not appear to have any actual connection to this particular piece. Nevertheless, it is an interesting and possibly unique piece of Western ephemera related to this assay company.</B></I><BR><I>From The Alan Bingel Collection.</B></I>