1297
Sierra Silver Mining Co. Stock Certificate, 1861, Genoa, Nevada Territory [195873]
Currency:USD
Category:Coins & Paper Money / Stock & Bond - Mining
Start Price:300.00 USD
Estimated At:600.00 - 1,000.00 USD
CURRENT BID
0.00USD+ applicable fees & taxes.
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Live Online Auction Starts In
2025 Oct 31 @ 08:00 (UTC-07:00 : PDT/MST)
FINAL AUCTION RECORD The Auctioneer’s podium notes serve as the final, legally binding record of the auction results, superseding any electronic bidding records. See Terms and Conditions
Extremely rare Nevada mining location. According to newspaper reports, this company was incorporated Oct. 25th, 1860, and its mine location was Genoa, Utah Territory! This is the only Prag territorial mining stock for a Genoa-based mining company we've ever seen. According to Tingley, the Genoa Mining District was organized in 1860 and was located in the mountains west of Genoa, 1 mile north of the town. Later expanded to include Kingsbury Grade.
Stock No. 442, issued for 5 shares to CS Bowden in December 1861 in San Francisco. Signed by president FA Conro(?) and the secretary. Not cancelled. Attractive design with black border and print, and vignette of a locomotive passing a group of Native Americans. Smaller vignette of dog next to safe, with printed "Incorporated 1860." Lith. Britton & Co., SF. Folds, creases, toning, rough right border. 4.75 x 9.5"
Notices of this company's incorporation appear in 1860 and 1861 newspapers. A March 14th, 1861 Daily Alta California article includes a first-hand report from Genoa which highlights this mine: "Our mines prospect better than the Comstock lead did, upon the surface, and I hesitate not to express the opinion that, in six months from to-day, they will bring more in the market, and yield better returns upon the investment, than any mines in the Territory, or in the world. Many tunnels have been commenced, and some few have penetrated the mountain three or four hundred feet. Among the most enterprising companies at work, I will mention the Sierra, the Buena Ventura, and the Leroy. These companies are at work night and day, though neither of them expect to strike the lead for many months. The Sierra Company have struck a vein near the surface, which yields from three to ten thousand dollars per ton in gold and silver. Mr. O. W. Dunn, the agent of this company, assures me that every arrangement has been made to erect extensive quartz mills and saw mills as early as practicable in the spring. He has already expended large sums in purchasing timber lands, water privileges, etc. I learned also, from one of the trustees, residing in San Francisco, that the stock of the company sells readily at six hundred dollars per share of five feet, or ten dollars per inch...An accidental discovery organized the Sierra Silver Mining Company, which, in my opinion, will be, in six months' time, one of the richest companies in the world."
A January 11th, 1863 article notes the company's "lode is one of the richest in Nevada Territory, besides which the Company have splendid lumber lands, and a saw-mill in working order, capable of sawing 1,000 feet per hour." S. Randall is superintendent.
This mining company (and the Genoa mining district) are also discussed in Thompson & West's History of Nevada. They note that the "Sierra Silver Mining, Saw & Quartz Mill Company did more toward the development of a mining property than any other company. A tunnel was run 1800 feet, and the ledge not reached. Five years of labor and a cash expenditure of $125,000 finally convinced the stockholders that the mining property they had located was of no value" (pg. 375).
[Ref: Mining Districts of Nevada, Tingley, 1998; Thompson & West 1881; numerous Daily Alta California articles mentioned]
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Date: 1861
Country (if not USA):
State: Nevada
City: Genoa
Provenance: Douglas McDonald Collection
Auction Location:
3555 Airway Drive Suite 308, Reno, Nevada, 89511, United States
Previewing Details:
Preview:
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Nevada State Sales Tax
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NSST |
8.375% |
Nevada Sales Tax |
| CSST |
8% |
California Sales Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
25% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
Pick-up is available at our Reno office by scheduling online via the link in the post-auction email notification or by calling our office at 775-851-1859. 24 hours notice is required.
Shipments will be processed in the order invoices are paid. Please be patient; about 200 invoices are paid the first day. Please contact us ASAP with any special instructions. Very large orders or orders with oversized, overweight, oddly shaped or fragile items will require additional processing time.
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It is the customer's responsibility to arrange freight shipments; we will palletize orders upon special request for an additional handling fee.
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Live Auction conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC (HWAC)
1. By participating in the auction, bidders acknowledge and accept the terms and conditions of sale.
2. BUYER’S PREMIUM & INSURANCE: There will be a 25% Buyer’s Premium added to the sale price (hammer) of each lot. We accept cash, checks, money orders, wire transfers, credit cards and PayPal.
3. COINS, CURRENCY AND PRECIOUS METALS, Insurance. The buyer’s commission for this section is 20%. Coins and currency shall be defined as any regular Federal issue circulating coins and currency. Tokens are not considered coins. Precious metals shall be defined as ingots, silver or gold rounds, bullion items and gold nuggets. Mineral specimens are not considered under the precious metals category. Commemorative items such as metals and ribbons are not considered coins of precious metals. However, lots that consist entirely of gold or silver of high purity, including commemorative metals, are considered precious metals. Please contact our office if you need clarification on a specific lot.
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6. LIVE (FLOOR) BIDDING: 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. Our auction progress is at a rate of between 60 and 100 lots per hour. An item is not sold until the next lot is announced. (We are not responsible for Internet bids that arrive late.) The auctioneer 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, prior to the start of the next auction lot. 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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9. INTERNET BIDDING: Both Absentee and Live Internet bidding are available through our live auction networks. If you wish to bid LIVE via the Internet, you MUST pre-register. A live feed is generally accessible during the auction. Online bidding remains open through the live auction, and online absentee bids may be placed anytime. Live bidding will open when the auction starts. Internet bidding is offered as a convenience for those who cannot attend the live sale. There may be delays or interruptions in Internet connectivity that are beyond our control. Attending the live auction or arranging for an agent is the most reliable way to secure your bids.
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11. FINAL AUCTION RECORD The Auctioneer’s podium notes serve as the final, legally binding record of the auction results, superseding any electronic bidding records.
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BE ADVISED: Auction participation through the live Internet bidding site is not 100% foolproof. The technology for this process is always changing, and the operation of it and the corresponding Internet connectivity issues are far beyond our control. Some folks have attempted to use the live Internet bidding process as their primary method of bidding, and have been quite successful. Others have failed completely. Depending upon your computer, server, host, and other factors, Internet signals may be delayed, such that bids may not be received in time. We cannot be held responsible for these delays, or for the lack of placed bids in a timely manner, or any other factors leading to unaccepted bids that are far beyond our control. Bidders should always have a backup plan for lots they highly desire. Live participation is best, followed by phone participation. We will not reopen lots for missed bids.
14. BIDDING INCREMENTS: All bids must be submitted in U.S. dollars and in whole dollar amounts only in the appropriate increments as outlined below. If you choose to submit bids in an increment not listed below, your bid will be rounded to the nearest increment and you will be expected to pay the amount to which the bid was rounded should your bid be the winning bid. If you have any questions about an appropriate bid amount, please call us.
From: to: Increment:
$1 $95 $5
$100 $190 $10
$200 $475 $25
$500 $1,450 $50
$1,500 $3,400 $100
$3,500 $9,750 $250
$10,000 $30,000 $500
$30,000 up $1000
15. RESERVES: Most of the lots in this auction are unreserved. Precious metals may be reserved at or near or slightly below spot, at the auctioneer's discretion.
16. 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.
17. BID INFORMATION: Collectors often ask in advance the price level of a particular lot. We will give out the current competitive high absentee bid until we close the day before the live auction. You may also view absentee bids online at www.holabirdamericana.com. While we try to update the absentee bids as often as necessary, bids received close to the bidding deadline might not be reflected online, and we disclaim any responsibility for any bids made in reliance upon inaccuracies on our website, which may be beyond our control. We do not own any of the live Internet bidding platforms, and thus many aspects of the Internet technology are out of our control.
18. BID CANCELLATION: If you wish to cancel or change a bid after you have submitted your bids to us due to an error, you MUST PHONE us to advise us of this. Bid cancellations through mail, email, or faxes are not advisable. Errors are easy to make. Please call us if you have any questions on this.
19. All stock certificates, checks, warrants, and other financial documents sold herein are sold as antiquities, and have no financial, securities, or public trading value whatsoever.
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24. NON-PAYMENT: HWAC reserves the right to cancel any invoice not paid in full within 15 days. A cancelled invoice does not relieve the bidder from their obligation to pay seller fees and buyer’s premiums compensating HWAC for its services in conducting the auction. Interest shall run on all outstanding balances at the highest rate permitted by law. HWAC shall have a lien against the merchandise purchased by the bidder, and any other of bidder’s property then held by HWAC or its affiliates, to secure payment of the invoice, and with respect thereto HWAC shall have all the rights of a secured creditor under the Nevada Commercial Code, including but not limited to the right of sale. HWAC may sell the lot(s) securing the invoice to any under bidders in the auction that the lot(s) appeared, or at subsequent private or public sale, or relist the lot(s) in a future auction conducted by HWAC. A defaulting bidder agrees to pay for the reasonable costs of resale (including a 10% seller’s commission, if consigned to an auction conducted by HWAC). The defaulting bidder is liable to pay any difference between his or her total original invoice for the lot(s), plus any applicable interest, and the net proceeds for the lot(s) if sold at private sale or the subsequent hammer price of the lot(s) less the 10% seller’s commissions, if sold at an HWAC auction. If HWAC refers any invoice to an attorney for collection, the bidder agrees to pay attorney’s fees, court costs, and other collection costs incurred by HWAC. Any bidder who fails to follow the terms of payment will be reported to iCollector, Live Auctioneers, Invaluable, or applicable bidding platform, and may be barred from participating in future Holabird Western Americana auctions.
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26. UNCLAIMED MERCHANDISE: In the event that a successful bidder has paid in full for their merchandise but fails to settle outstanding shipping invoices or make arrangements for merchandise pickup within 60 days, HWAC reserves the right to declare the merchandise forfeited. This forfeiture will result in the merchandise becoming the property of HWAC and the successful bidder shall have no claim to or rights over the forfeited merchandise.
27. CONDITION: We strongly recommend that you attend the live preview to see lots in their entirety. Conditions are not always noted, and large lots may not be itemized due to catalog restraints. For questions, detailed information, or additional images of any lot please contact our office at 775-851-1859. Bidders are responsible for understanding the condition of items. Conditions noted are subjective, and may differ person to person. High resolution images of all items are available online for inspection. HWAC is not responsible for condition discrepancies; it is the bidders responsibility to determine condition prior to bidding.
28. RETURN POLICY: All items are guaranteed to be authentic unless otherwise noted. If authenticity is challenged, please call our office for assistance. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. You may only return any piece that was significantly inaccurately described by calling our office within 10 days of receipt of item(s) and notifying us of the error and reason for return. We do not refund postage or insurance. Please call us if you require a more specific condition report. Any items that are returned must be returned in the exact, unaltered condition. 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.
29. This sale is being held under the laws of the State of Nevada.
30. HWAC shall not be held responsible for any problem due to the bidder’s failure to follow the rules, terms and conditions of this sale, or any failure to bid due to the loss of the online auction process provided by any of the online auction networks; or missed bids, changed bids or cancelled due the bidder’s failure to follow the proper bidding procedure outlined herein.
31. By placing a bid or otherwise participating in the auction, Bidder accepts these Terms and Conditions, and specifically agrees to the dispute resolution provided herein.
32. HWAC shall not be responsible for consequential damages, incidental damages, compensatory damages, or any other damages arising or claimed to be arising from the auction on any lot. Bidder’s sole remedy for any proven act or omission shall be rescission of sale and refund of the amount paid by Bidder.
33. Any claim, dispute, or controversy in connection with, relating to and/or arising out of the Auction, participation in the Auction, award of lots, damages of claims to lots, descriptions, condition reports, provenance, estimates, return and warranty rights, any interpretation of these Terms and Conditions, any alleged verbal modification of these Terms and Conditions and/or any purported settlement shall be exclusively heard by, and the parties consent to exclusive in personal jurisdiction of, the Superior Court of Washoe County, Nevada. The parties expressly waive any right to trial by jury. Any claim must be brought within one (1) year of the auction from which the claim arose or the claim is waived. In every case, the prevailing party shall be entitled to an award of its attorney’s fees and costs.