2585

Utah Silver Silver Ingots. Three pieces are in this lot

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD
Utah Silver Silver Ingots. Three pieces are in this lot
<B>Utah Silver Ingots.</B></I> Three pieces are in this lot. The ingot is trapezoidal with imprints on two sides. One long side states UTAH SILVER. The top side reads: F970 / OZ / 2 41. No period is used in the weight, but the numbers that express a part of an ounce are raised above the 2. Medium gray patina.<BR> This ingot is made in the typical fashion of 19th century western U.S. ingots made for exhibition, perhaps residing in a display case next to a high grade silver ore specimen from a specific ore deposit. The term "Utah Silver" is potentially confusing, because it could refer to silver mined in Nevada while it was Utah Territory (1859-1861), or it could be from a Utah silver mine from a later date. Coincidentally, this ingot nearly matches a larger "loaf" style ingot made for R. C. Chambers (now in a private collection), superintendent of the famous Ontario mine in Utah, owned by George Hearst and his partners, that produced great quantities of silver in the 1870s. Detailed metal analyses would confirm or deny a direct association.<BR> The silver weights that accompany this ingot are marked "25" and "35." They have no apparent relation to the Utah ingot, and appear to have been placed in the case for convenience. These two pieces are quite different from normal ingots, and were once thought to have represented coin in denominational amounts. However, these two pieces of silver, which exhibit careful chipping and filing (which generally represent an adjustment in weight), are indeed exactly as they represent--weights of 0.25 and 0.35 troy ounces. The markings and use are purely as weights for precious metals (hence fractions of troy ounces, not avoirdupois ounces), easily usable for pocket scales and weighing placer gold. These unusual and rare pieces are likely 19th century, though the maker and age is nearly impossible to ascertain.<BR><I>From The Kagin Reference C