Found this googling today
FrankH
Posts: 982 ✭✭✭✭✭
Until googling today, I had no idea a picture of this was anywhere to be found.
Darvin (Ace) Reiswig owned Common to Key Coin in Sacramento.
It was one of the first coin shops I used to visit.
This area in central CA was (maybe still is) full of neat neat neat old stuff.
Made of beaten silver with ingots inlaid as in the pic.
It folded up and the top part with ears had a bear on the other side.
The one he had was stamped "Contreras." I googled but can't find any reference to a Contreras mine.
The illustrated one says Ann's Saloon. Can't find anything about that either.
I've prowled all over the gold rush region and have been in some abandoned mines but no ingots found.
Any info solicited. 
5
Comments
What is “it”?
I have not seen that type of gold exchange medium before... I have read that gold was used in several forms before official coins were made available... This seems to be one. If you find more history relating to these or similar pieces, please let us know. Cheers, RickO
Screams modern fantasy to me
www.brunkauctions.com
Could be. No real way to authenticate. However, I did have Reiswig's piece in hand back in the early 70's.
And at ...one time... I did find some reference material to a Contreras mine.
Anyhow, there's the pic. Make of it what you will. The article where I found the pic called it a "necklace."
Necklace might be what it is, or was supposed to be.
The two holes at the top would seem to support that claim.
Pete