S.S. Central America Gold Treasure at Auction

CaptainBlunt

Earlier this year, Great Collections sold a Henry Hentsch gold ingot 67.91 ozs. $1,250.80 (1857 stamped value) recovered from the S.S. Central America.

They are currently listing a Henry Hentsch gold ingot recovered from the wreck as an upcoming lot, 176.25 ozs. $3,257.20 (1857 stamped value)

Both are described in part as follows: While there were several different makers of gold ingots recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck, the rarest of all are those produced by the Swiss-born banker and assayer Henry Hentsch. This statement was true until 2014's salvage efforts when 5 additional Hentsch bars were salvaged.

Rarity By Maker (I included the 2014 salvage recoveries)

1. Blake & Co. Assayers Sacramento CA, with 34 total ingots salvaged
   (zero found in 2014)
   Total 1857 stamped face value estimate $18,000.

2. Hy or (Henry) Hentsch of San Francisco, CA is second with 38 total ingots (including 5 from 2014's salvage efforts, No.'s
   3127, 3128, 3225, 3243, and 3246.)
   Total 1857 stamped face value estimate $61,000.

3. Harris, Marchand & Co. of Sacramento and Marysville are third with 40 ingots, including 3 from 2014's recoveries; 39 poured at their Sacramento office and 1 at Marysville. The bars poured in Sacramento have serial numbers in the 6,000's The bar poured at Marysville is numbered 7,095. Total 1857 stamped face value estimate $36,000.

4. Justh & Hunter of San Francisco and Marysville are fourth with over 90 ingots including 7 from 2014's salvage efforts. The bars produced in San Francisco have serial numbers in the 4,000's, while the bars poured in Marysville are numbered in the 9,000's
   Total 1857 stamped face value, a rough estimate $242,000

5. Kellogg & Humbert of San Francisco was the most predominant maker by far with 372-373 ingots salvaged. This includes 30 retrieved in 2014. Their 1857 stamped gold value, a rough estimate of $682,000.

So over $1,000,000 in gold (1857 stamped gold value on the bars) was recovered from the S.S.CA in ingot or bar form.

These ingot numbers reflect the fact that Kellogg & Humbert and Justh & Hunter
were the kingpins of the CA gold bar trade during 1857.

In comparison, S.F.B.M. $20 gold pieces or Double Eagles were the most numerous coins recovered and they probably totaled around $170,000 (1857 face value) for the 3 most abundant dates (1857-S, 1856-S and 1855-S.)
Of that the 1857-S $20 -$131,000 or thereabouts. (including 1,166 1857-S $20's from 2014's efforts.)

The 1855 $50 Kellogg & Co. Commemorative Restrike gold coins were made with gold obtained from melting a number of Kellogg & Humbert ingots. The Forty-Niner Horseman gold coins were made from the melting of Justh & Hunter gold ingots. The face plate's of these bars were sawed off and preserved. They contained the hallmark or the firm's stamp, and the serial number, value, weight and fineness of the bar. They sell at auction, etc.

No gold bars poured by Blake & Co., Harris, Marchand & Co., or Henry Hentsch were melted.

The smallest gold bar recovered from the wreck was a Blake & Co. bar weighing 4.95ozs.

The largest was 933.94 ozs., 903 Fine gold bar poured and assayed by Kellogg & Humbert with a stamped face value of $17,433.57. It was named the Eureka bar and had its own custom build display case during the first Ship Of Gold national tour.

Side Note:
California Stage Company President James E. Birch and his wife were passengers onboard the S.S. Sonora when she left San Francisco for Panama on August 20th. They transferred by light rail across the Isthmus from the Pacific side to the Atlantic side and boarded the ill-fated Central America. When she foundered in a hurricane on September 12th, 1857, Birch reportedly told his fellow passengers that he did not believe in the usefulness of life jackets, they only postponed the inevitable and he lit a cigar and was never seen again. His wife had been transferred to a another vessel during the ordeal and made it safely back to New York City.

Now a widow, she was not left without funds, James had shipped $60,000-$65,000 in gold bars onboard the steamship
Golden Age which departed from San Francisco for Panama on August 5th. The treasure was transferred across the Isthmus and had arrived safely back in New York onboard the steamer Illinois.

In some sense every ingot could be considered unique with a different combination of assaying firm hallmarks, serial numbers, weight, fineness and values, etc.

A large number of California gold bars that were shipped to New York, ended up in the New York Assay office where they were refined and then sent to the Philadelphia Mint for coinage. Gold bars with stamps from well known assayers like Kellogg & Humbert were recognized beyond the United States in places like London. Some of the S.S. Sonora's golden cargo was shipped there after the light rail crossing at the Isthmus.....

Most notably missing from all of the remarkable California Gold Rush treasure salvaged from the S.S. Central America were 1854-S half eagles, quarter eagles and S.F.B.M. gold bars. Given their extremely low mintages I guess it is understandable that no specimen of these coins were found. On the other hand, the New York Assay Office had reported receiving S.F.B.M. gold bars during this time period, so there was an outside chance that a Branch Mint gold bar could have ended up on the ship.

Unfortunately there are no known gold ingots from the S.F.B.M. during this era, they all found the melting pot. For years it was believed that eleven gold bars supposedly recovered from the remains of a crushed lifeboat linked to the 1865 wreck of S.S. Brother Jonathan were real.

They turned out to be modern (20th Century) fakes. Compare the images below of one of the fake bars to a genuine gold bar from from the Denver Mint or Assay Office dated 1865. Note the eagle hallmark and the IRS round tax stamp on the Denver piece.

Photos:
1. The so-called Garden of Gold photographed before the 1st salvaged efforts began by Columbus-America Discovery Group.
Note the Double Eagles in roll formation, and gold ingots with pioneer gold coins scattered about. The dark gray strip in the
middle of the golden mountain consisted of 14 silver coins (half dollars and quarters) fused together. It was sold as lot No. 143 in the Christie's December 2000 sale.

2. The famous Life Magazine image of some of the gold salvaged.
3. A Kellogg & Humbert gold bar with Double Eagles attached to it. An extremely rare Dubosq & Co. $10 gold coin also sat
   beside this deposit.
4. A Justh & Hunter small gold bar
5. A grouping of Blake & Co. gold bars.
6. The stamped hallmark of Harris, Marchand & Co.

7. Henry Hentsch gold bar

8. Fake 1865 S.F.B.M. gold bar alleged to have been lost as the personal property of a passenger on the S.S. Brother Jonathan.

9. A real 1865 small gold Denver Mint or Assay Office gold bar

The bottom line is that all of the genuine gold ingots recovered from the S.S. Central are significant historic reminders of the CA Gold Rush or adventure that attracted gold seekers from around the world.

CaptHenway

@CaptainBlunt said:
Earlier this year, Great Collections sold a Henry Hentsch gold ingot 67.91 ozs. $1,250.80 (1857 stamped value) recovered from the S.S. Central America.

They are currently listing a Henry Hentsch gold ingot recovered from the wreck as an upcoming lot, 176.25 ozs. $3,257.20 (1857 stamped value)

Both are described in part as follows: While there were several different makers of gold ingots recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck, the rarest of all are those produced by the Swiss-born banker and assayer Henry Hentsch. This statement was true until 2014's salvage efforts when 5 additional Hentsch bars were salvaged.

Rarity By Maker (I included the 2014 salvage recoveries)

1. Blake & Co. Assayers Sacramento CA, with 34 total ingots salvaged
   (zero found in 2014)
   Total 1857 stamped face value estimate $18,000.

2. Hy or (Henry) Hentsch of San Francisco, CA is second with 38 total ingots (including 5 from 2014's salvage efforts, No.'s
   3127, 3128, 3225, 3243, and 3246.)
   Total 1857 stamped face value estimate $61,000.

3. Harris, Marchand & Co. of Sacramento and Marysville are third with 40 ingots, including 3 from 2014's recoveries; 39 poured at their Sacramento office and 1 at Marysville. The bars poured in Sacramento have serial numbers in the 6,000's The bar poured at Marysville is numbered 7,095. Total 1857 stamped face value estimate $36,000.

4. Justh & Hunter of San Francisco and Marysville are fourth with over 90 ingots including 7 from 2014's salvage efforts. The bars produced in San Francisco have serial numbers in the 4,000's, while the bars poured in Marysville are numbered in the 9,000's
   Total 1857 stamped face value, a rough estimate $242,000

5. Kellogg & Humbert of San Francisco was the most predominant maker by far with 372-373 ingots salvaged. This includes 30 retrieved in 2014. Their 1857 stamped gold value, a rough estimate of $682,000.

So over $1,000,000 in gold (1857 stamped gold value on the bars) was recovered from the S.S.CA in ingot or bar form.

These ingot numbers reflect the fact that Kellogg & Humbert and Justh & Hunter
were the kingpins of the CA gold bar trade during 1857.

In comparison, S.F.B.M. $20 gold pieces or Double Eagles were the most numerous coins recovered and they probably totaled around $170,000 (1857 face value) for the 3 most abundant dates (1857-S, 1856-S and 1855-S.)
Of that the 1857-S $20 -$131,000 or thereabouts. (including 1,166 1857-S $20's from 2014's efforts.)

The 1855 $50 Kellogg & Co. Commemorative Restrike gold coins were made with gold obtained from melting a number of Kellogg & Humbert ingots. The Forty-Niner Horseman gold coins were made from the melting of Justh & Hunter gold ingots. The face plate's of these bars were sawed off and preserved. They contained the hallmark or the firm's stamp, and the serial number, value, weight and fineness of the bar. They sell at auction, etc.

No gold bars poured by Blake & Co., Harris, Marchand & Co., or Henry Hentsch were melted.

The smallest gold bar recovered from the wreck was a Blake & Co. bar weighing 4.95ozs.

The largest was 933.94 ozs., 903 Fine gold bar poured and assayed by Kellogg & Humbert with a stamped face value of $17,433.57. It was named the Eureka bar and had its own custom build display case during the first Ship Of Gold national tour.

Side Note:
California Stage Company President James E. Birch and his wife were passengers onboard the S.S. Sonora when she left San Francisco for Panama on August 20th. They transferred by light rail across the Isthmus from the Pacific side to the Atlantic side and boarded the ill-fated Central America. When she foundered in a hurricane on September 12th, 1857, Birch reportedly told his fellow passengers that he did not believe in the usefulness of life jackets, they only postponed the inevitable and he lit a cigar and was never seen again. His wife had been transferred to a another vessel during the ordeal and made it safely back to New York City.

Now a widow, she was not left without funds, James had shipped $60,000-$65,000 in gold bars onboard the steamship
Golden Age which departed from San Francisco for Panama on August 5th. The treasure was transferred across the Isthmus and had arrived safely back in New York onboard the steamer Illinois.

In some sense every ingot could be considered unique with a different combination of assaying firm hallmarks, serial numbers, weight, fineness and values, etc.

A large number of California gold bars that were shipped to New York, ended up in the New York Assay office where they were refined and then sent to the Philadelphia Mint for coinage. Gold bars with stamps from well known assayers like Kellogg & Humbert were recognized beyond the United States in places like London. Some of the S.S. Sonora's golden cargo was shipped there after the light rail crossing at the Isthmus.....

Most notably missing from all of the remarkable California Gold Rush treasure salvaged from the S.S. Central America were 1854-S half eagles, quarter eagles and S.F.B.M. gold bars. Given their extremely low mintages I guess it is understandable that no specimen of these coins were found. On the other hand, the New York Assay Office had reported receiving S.F.B.M. gold bars during this time period, so there was an outside chance that a Branch Mint gold bar could have ended up on the ship.

Unfortunately there are no known gold ingots from the S.F.B.M. during this era, they all found the melting pot. For years it was believed that eleven gold bars supposedly recovered from the remains of a crushed lifeboat linked to the 1865 wreck of S.S. Brother Jonathan were real.

They turned out to be modern (20th Century) fakes. Compare the images below of one of the fake bars to a genuine gold bar from from the Denver Mint or Assay Office dated 1865. Note the eagle hallmark and the IRS round tax stamp on the Denver piece.

Photos:

1. The so-called Garden of Gold photographed before the 1st salvaged efforts began by Columbus-America Discovery Group.
   Note the Double Eagles in roll formation, and gold ingots with pioneer gold coins scattered about. The dark gray strip in the
   middle of the golden mountain consisted of 14 silver coins (half dollars and quarters) fused together. It was sold as lot No. 143 in the Christie's December 2000 sale.

2. The famous Life Magazine image of some of the gold salvaged.

3. A Kellogg & Humbert gold bar with Double Eagles attached to it. An extremely rare Dubosq & Co. $10 gold coin also sat
   beside this deposit.

4. A Justh & Hunter small gold bar

5. A grouping of Blake & Co. gold bars.

6. The stamped hallmark of Harris, Marchand & Co.

7. Henry Hentsch gold bar

8. Fake 1865 S.F.B.M. gold bar alleged to have been lost as the personal property of a passenger on the S.S. Brother Jonathan.

9. A real 1865 small gold Denver Mint or Assay Office gold bar
   

The bottom line is that all of the genuine gold ingots recovered from the S.S. Central are significant historic reminders of the CA Gold Rush or adventure that attracted gold seekers from around the world.

Edited to add: This is all the OP's work. I'm just helping him get the pictures posted.
TD

Smudge

Pornography is frowned upon here.

WinLoseWin

@Smudge said:
Pornography is frowned upon here.

.
.

That's gold, Jerry, gold!!

.
.
.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF7OnW4XDck

CaptHenway

@Smudge said:
Pornography is frowned upon here.

Pornography is in the eyes of the bedazzled!

ricko

Beautiful pictures.... What a thrill it must have been to be part of such an adventure... I know just finding a gold nugget (6 grams) is a major heart thumper.... Cheers, RickO