Tracking silver from mine to mint

shirohniichan2

I’m deciding on my next research project, and my eye is now on seeing if I can tie silver shipments from California mines to the San Francisco mint from 1867-1876.
Does anyone know of existing research in a similar vein?
I visited Cerro Gordo years ago, and I was fascinated by the transportation of lead-silver bars by mule team to Los Angeles and on to San Francisco. The lead went to the Selby Smelting Works. Did any of the silver become coins? If so, how much and in what years? Inquiring minds want to know.

MrScience

I am not an expert in US Mint warrants and other documentation - though some past and present members here are - but they might reveal the source of silver for coinage. Your thread title parallels the title of Roger W. Burdette's book From Mine To Mint - have you looked into it?

A more involved technique is to use the fact that copper, silver, and lead obtained from different geographical and geological sources possesses different isotopic ratios. This fingerprint effect has been used to identify the evolving sources of copper in US cents and the Old and New World sources of silver in Spanish coinage.

Fun project - good luck!

MrScience

Dr. Ryan Mathur's cover story of the July 2009 issue of The Numismatist discusses isotopic analysis of the origins of the copper used in US cents....

Rittenhouse

@shirohniichan2 said:
I’m deciding on my next research project, and my eye is now on seeing if I can tie silver shipments from California mines to the San Francisco mint from 1867-1876.

The records you seek should be in Record Group 104. The SF site lists "Journals of Bullion Deposits, June 30, 1854–June 30, 1881." This journal should contain the date, weight, fineness, and source of bullion deposits at the SF mint. Here's a link: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1702036

You can schedule a time to go there or you may be able to get the staff to photocopy the records you seek. You can contact them at: sanbruno.archives@nara.gov.

Good luck.

pmh1nic

@Rittenhouse said:

@shirohniichan2 said:
I’m deciding on my next research project, and my eye is now on seeing if I can tie silver shipments from California mines to the San Francisco mint from 1867-1876.

The records you seek should be in Record Group 104. The SF site lists "Journals of Bullion Deposits, June 30, 1854–June 30, 1881." This journal should contain the date, weight, fineness, and source of bullion deposits at the SF mint. Here's a link: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1702036

You can schedule a time to go there or you may be able to get the staff to photocopy the records you seek. You can contact them at: sanbruno.archives@nara.gov.

Good luck.

Just went to the website and created any account. WOW! I did a little browsing. I see this is an incredible resource if you know what you're looking for and put in the proper search terms.

CaptHenway

Message @CaptainBlunt on here. He knows more about SF Mint archive records than anyone.

coinbuf

You might try reaching out to Roger over on the NGC forum, he wrote the book aptly titled "From mine to mint". He may have some info or additional research leads.

shirohniichan2

Thanks for the suggestions. I’m not quite ready to go to the California State Library to look through the Selby Smelting Works’ records, but I have been able to get some good information from the Daily Alta California archives complied by UC Riverside. Knopf’s book Mineral Resources of the Inyo and White Mountains quotes some good source material, also.
I’m starting to slide down a rabbit hole of geology, but I’ll get back on track eventually.

pcgsregistrycollector

@MrScience said:
I am not an expert in US Mint warrants and other documentation - though some past and present members here are - but they might reveal the source of silver for coinage. Your thread title parallels the title of Roger W. Burdette's book From Mine To Mint - have you looked into it?

A more involved technique is to use the fact that copper, silver, and lead obtained from different geographical and geological sources possesses different isotopic ratios. This fingerprint effect has been used to identify the evolving sources of copper in US cents and the Old and New World sources of silver in Spanish coinage.

Fun project - good luck!

The part about isotopic ratios seems particularly fascinating. I imagine that you would need some expensive equipment to analyze the coins though. Maybe consider reaching out to a university to ask if you can use their apparatus?

MrScience

@pcgsregistrycollector said:
The part about isotopic ratios seems particularly fascinating. I imagine that you would need some expensive equipment to analyze the coins though. Maybe consider reaching out to a university to ask if you can use their apparatus?

I think you would need access to isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Universities are good candidates, and a quick internet search reveals a number of companies also offering isotope analysis services for metals.