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FUN Signature US Coin Sale 1251 4-6 & 8-9 Jan 2017
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S.S. Central America Gold Bars
Henry Hentsch Gold Ingot. 45.00 Ounces. CABG-222. More than 500 gold ingots were pulled from the wreckage of S.S. Central America, mainly bearing the marks of Kellogg & Humbert and Justh & Hunter. Those two firms alone comprised 80% of the bars recovered. Henry Hentsch ingots, like the one offered here, totaled just 33, the lowest number of any of the five firms represented in the treasure.
One might assume that such figures suggest the relative importance of each assayer in the Gold Rush economy, with the most important and well-reputed companies producing and shipping more gold bars than the smaller firms. After all, Robert Evans wrote in an August 2008 Numismatist article, "... a look at the statistics of the recovered treasure can imply certain truths, particularly since the find represents an accidental time capsule." Along those same lines, virtually nothing was known about Henry Hentsch prior to the discovery of the Central America in 1988, while Kellogg & Humbert have been among the most recognizable names in numismatic circles since the mid-to-late-19th century. These truths seem to point toward a company of minimal import.
However, we should not be so quick to underestimate Hentsch's status, for Evans also cautioned that "any recovery of treasure from a sunken shipwreck is only a partial recovery, a sample if you will, and that any reliance on statistics must be considered accordingly." For example, 33 Hentsch bars were recovered, but that total was only fractionally smaller than Blake & Co.'s 34 ingots and Harris, Marchand, and Co.'s 37 bars. Additionally, the Hentsch bars had a significantly higher nominal value: $51,393.11 compared to $18,242.48 for Blake & Co., and $35,381.33 for Harris, Marchand, and Co.
Henry Hentsch's personal history also lends credence to his importance as a key California Gold Rush assayer. Hentsch, a Swiss émigré from a prominent banking family, had strong ties to financial institutions in Liverpool, London, France, and Geneva. Dave Bowers explains in A California Gold Rush History: "As European banks and gold dealers were a major destination for California gold bars, these endorsements no doubt attracted bullion depositors with such customers in mind." Clearly, Henry Hentsch played an invaluable role, like his more famous contemporaries, in assaying California gold for shipment to the East Coast and elsewhere, solidifying his place in Gold Rush history.
This ingot is classed as "medium to large size." It is thick and vertically oriented. The serial number is repeated on the back side. That side also appears to have been dressed or finessed by tapping (according to the California Gold Rush History reference). The ingot measures 48 mm x 74 mm x 21 mm. The top side is laid out: No 3212 / 914 FINE / Hy HENTSCH / Oz 45.00 / $850.23. The surfaces are bright yellow-gold, except for a nickel-sized spot of rust from the ship's iron ribbing in the center and a small spot of rust that covers the lower part of the 3 in the serial number.
From The Arizona Treasure Collection.
Henry Hentsch Gold Ingot. 45.00 Ounces. CABG-222. More than 500 gold ingots were pulled from the wreckage of S.S. Central America, mainly bearing the marks of Kellogg & Humbert and Justh & Hunter. Those two firms alone comprised 80% of the bars recovered. Henry Hentsch ingots, like the one offered here, totaled just 33, the lowest number of any of the five firms represented in the treasure.
One might assume that such figures suggest the relative importance of each assayer in the Gold Rush economy, with the most important and well-reputed companies producing and shipping more gold bars than the smaller firms. After all, Robert Evans wrote in an August 2008 Numismatist article, "... a look at the statistics of the recovered treasure can imply certain truths, particularly since the find represents an accidental time capsule." Along those same lines, virtually nothing was known about Henry Hentsch prior to the discovery of the Central America in 1988, while Kellogg & Humbert have been among the most recognizable names in numismatic circles since the mid-to-late-19th century. These truths seem to point toward a company of minimal import.
However, we should not be so quick to underestimate Hentsch's status, for Evans also cautioned that "any recovery of treasure from a sunken shipwreck is only a partial recovery, a sample if you will, and that any reliance on statistics must be considered accordingly." For example, 33 Hentsch bars were recovered, but that total was only fractionally smaller than Blake & Co.'s 34 ingots and Harris, Marchand, and Co.'s 37 bars. Additionally, the Hentsch bars had a significantly higher nominal value: $51,393.11 compared to $18,242.48 for Blake & Co., and $35,381.33 for Harris, Marchand, and Co.
Henry Hentsch's personal history also lends credence to his importance as a key California Gold Rush assayer. Hentsch, a Swiss émigré from a prominent banking family, had strong ties to financial institutions in Liverpool, London, France, and Geneva. Dave Bowers explains in A California Gold Rush History: "As European banks and gold dealers were a major destination for California gold bars, these endorsements no doubt attracted bullion depositors with such customers in mind." Clearly, Henry Hentsch played an invaluable role, like his more famous contemporaries, in assaying California gold for shipment to the East Coast and elsewhere, solidifying his place in Gold Rush history.
This ingot is classed as "medium to large size." It is thick and vertically oriented. The serial number is repeated on the back side. That side also appears to have been dressed or finessed by tapping (according to the California Gold Rush History reference). The ingot measures 48 mm x 74 mm x 21 mm. The top side is laid out: No 3212 / 914 FINE / Hy HENTSCH / Oz 45.00 / $850.23. The surfaces are bright yellow-gold, except for a nickel-sized spot of rust from the ship's iron ribbing in the center and a small spot of rust that covers the lower part of the 3 in the serial number.
From The Arizona Treasure Collection.