2487
Sacramento,CA - 11 December 1851 - Gold Rush Letter :
Currency:USD
Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia
Start Price:300.00 USD
Estimated At:600.00 - 1,500.00 USD
SOLD
375.00USD+ (65.63) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2011 Mar 16 @ 18:59UTC-7 : PDT/MST
Did you win this lot?
A full invoice should be emailed to the winner by the auctioneer within a day or two.
From Your Affectionate Husband, Octavius F. Jones to his Wife A.[urelia] A. Jones.
On crème letter sheet. It has three folds and some wear is evidenced on the second page in the folds where the paper is wearing thin and yellowing. In this letter, Octavius explains to his wife he has started a few letters to her but got side tracked, but this one he will finish. He writes his wife he purchased a share in a printing company and then sold it at a profit, which he turned around and put into a boarding house partnership. At one time the boarding house had eighty boarders, but in December it only had fifteen. He purchased, from others going back “to the States,” some mining claims which he is waiting to sell in the spring for profit. However, he has not made a profit on the boarding house. He reassures his wife that he has not forgotten her and is always thinking of her. He also wants to know if she received the $450.00 he previously sent via Adams and Company check to their New York City express office. He has $500.00 to send but he thinks he will keep it to make more profit by buying and selling mining shares.
Octavius fits the profile of most miners who came west. Where he diverges from the normal profile is that he learned fairly quickly the profits were not in mining alone but in business ventures surrounding mining. He also is one who left a wife at home. The separation usually was difficult for both parties as letters were few and far between. He seems to be a younger man for a few reasons. First, he does not mention children in the letter, so he may have been newly married before leaving for California. Secondly, He also seems less intimate with Aurelia than a man who has come to know his wife fairly well over time. His signature is formal; he does not include a pet name for himself or her. The closest he gets to tenderness is when he calls her “wife” a few times. Third, he does not ask after her health or how she is making due without him. He does not ask what she has been doing to keep herself busy while he is away. It does not seem his heart resides with her but in his profit making adventures he is undertaking in California. He asks to be remembered to Father and Mother Cleveland and to an uncle he has not had time to write. He has only written her this one letter. He wants to have her come to live in California so he can stay longer. He writes “I sometimes wished that you was [sic] here so that I could stay here a year longer but it is no place for women in California for there is no society here.” So while wishing to stay longer, he is going to stick to a deal they made for him to come to California for a period of time apparently. While Jones appears in the 1850 U. S. Census in California, he does not appear in any subsequent census. One is left wondering if Aurelia and Octavius reunited, if she came to California to join him so that they made a life for themselves there, if he made his fortune in trading mining claims, if they stayed married, or if either one of them died too soon as the historical record is silent except for this letter.
Auction Location:
Each session will be held at different locations, Sacramento, California, 95815, United States
Previewing Details:
The auction for session C will be held at the Sacramento Convention Center 1400 J Street 95814 Room #308. Previews for this session will be on Tuesday March 15th from 12pm to 6pm, and on Wednesday March 16th from 10am to 4pm at the Convention Center in Room #310.
Tax Details: Nevada sales tax will be added to all orders pick up at our location in Reno, NV or shipped to an address in Nevada unless a valid resale certificate is provided prior to invoicing. California sales tax will be added to all orders picked up in California or shipped to an address in California unless a valid resale certificate is provided prior to invoicing. Resale certificates can be faxed to 775-852-8866 BEFORE the auction closes.
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NST |
7.725% |
Nevada Sales Tax: |
| CST |
8.75% |
California Sales Tax: |
| CSTx |
9% |
California Sales Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
17.5% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
Shipping will be calculated prior to invoicing, based on the size and weight of your purchase. 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:
A 3% cash discount is applied to the Buyer’s Premium on all sales. That 3% discount will be reversed is payment is made by credit card or through Paypal.
Accepted Payment Methods:
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- See Payment Details
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1. This is a Live Auction which includes an important Mail Bid/Absentee Only Section.
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 150 and 240 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.
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7. Mail-Bid/Absentee Only Section Bidding: A portion of this sale is designated as “Mail-Bid” or “Absentee Only”. The Mail-Bid/Absentee Only portion of the sale will close after the live auction, Tuesday March 16, 2011 at 5pm PDT. 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.
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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
10. 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.
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17. 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 re-sale certificate is faxed to us at 775-852-8866 before bids are placed.
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19. Payment: 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.
20. Shipping: Shipping will be calculated prior to invoicing, based on the size and weight of your purchase. 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.
21. 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. Items may, or may not, carry lengthy descriptions, which is at the sole discretion of the auctioneer. Lengthy descriptions shall be considered as “industry standard.” 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.
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