2062

San Francisco,CA - 1849 - Mellus Howard & Co Gold Dust Shipment :

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:1,250.00 USD Estimated At:2,500.00 - 5,000.00 USD
San Francisco,CA - 1849 - Mellus Howard & Co Gold Dust Shipment :
Shipment receipt for "one box of gold dust" shipped by San Francisco merchant Mellus Howard & Co. on board steamer Panama consigned to Howland and Aspinwall and bound for Boston. The box reportedly contained six tins of gold dust weighing 1875 oz belonging to Mellus Howard & Co., a tin of 187.5 oz gold dust, a tin belonging to Susan Thompson weighing 62.5 oz., and eight ingots of gold valued at $402.16 belonging to Mellus Howard & Co. This important receipt illustrates the huge amount of gold that was mined in the gold fields during the very first part of the gold rush (1849). Shipping the gold east was a problem since the banks were not yet active in the express business at this time. Very few documents of this nature and age survived. Fine.