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San Francisco,CA - September 24, 1859 - Justh Assay Office and Gold and Silver Refinery :

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 2,000.00 USD
San Francisco,CA - September 24, 1859 - Justh Assay Office and Gold and Silver Refinery :
No. 1714 memorandum of gold bullion deposited by W.F. & Co. and C.T.H. Palmer. According to the assay report the weight of the bullion before melting was 106.88oz and 106.61oz after melting: a fineness rating of 894 and a full value of gold placed at $1940.21. Noted at bottom left: “Cont’d Iridium.” Iridium is a platinum-grouped metal, which does not occur naturally in California gold deposits. The only place in the world where platinum-grouped metals and gold are part of the same ore system is a large district in South Africa. The iridium in this bullion deposit is a direct result of a placer mining operation in California where certain parts of platinum-bearing ultramafic rocks transect the ore-rich California foothill belt. That is to say, in a few areas of California, placer miners found both placer gold and placer platinum while they were mining. Normally, this would indicate a placer gold product from the Northern California regions of the Trinity and Klamath River basins. Assay receipt is signed by E. Justh and S.M. Van Wyck on the bottom right. The E. Justh Company succeeded Justh & Hunter of SS Central America ingot fame. Very Fine Condition.