California Gold Rush Heist
CaptainBlunt
Posts: 199 ✭✭✭
Years ago, RWB sent me a large file of Archival material to look at. The following is one of the letters or information contained in that file. I found it to be an interesting slice of California’s Gold Rush history.
On April 18 of 1853, the New York Mutual Insurance Company wrote to the Philadelphia Mint instructing them to be on the look out for a stolen gold shipment.
Two packages or boxes of “treasure” shipped by the steamer Winfield Scott on her most recent voyage from San Francisco (to Panama) and then re-shipped per the steamer Union at Aspinwall had arrived at the port of NY City earlier in the month.
The contents of one of the boxes was described as follows:
1 Bar (Gold) Bullion 3909 Dwts. 905 Fine stamped value $3,665.47
“ 1654 898 1,535.16
“ 1400 894 1,293.60
“ 1653 910 1,554.73
“ 310 833 266.60
(Two parcels of gold dust)
120 ozs.
32 ozs.
Total 152 ozs.
30 Ingots $50 each
The bars pre date the San Francisco Branch Mint and were probably poured by well respected assayers or firms with prominent figures like Moffat, Humbert, Molitor, etc. with the bar’s weight, fineness and value having been determined.
The ingots were most likely $50 octagonal gold slugs from Augustus Humbert-the U.S. Assayer. I found lots of shipments of these coins being sent to New York and Europe. No doubt they were melted and re-coined.
The other box of treasure was consigned to Davis, Brooks & Co. and was insured in England.
They probably wrote a second letter to the Philadelphia Mint, describing the gold they lost.
In December of 1853, the Winfield Scott ran ashore on Anacapa Island (off California) in a dense fog at night and her serviced was thus ended.
The method of the heist? Upon opening the boxes of “treasure” in New York it was discovered that the gold had been removed and lead substituted……
Comments
Great read--thanks! Snipet about the rescue of the wreck:
The Shasta Courier, April 23, 1853
Courtesy of RWB
There were some California Fractionals recovered from the wreck. Maybe this one?
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