Research of this unique W. L. Berry ingot is difficult. He was not found in any of the standard references, which includes the 1867 Bean Directory of Nevada County and 1871 Mckenney Directories of Nevada County, California, the 1876 McKenney’s California Business Directory that covered Nevada County; or any of the Pacific Coast Business Directories (1867, 1871, 1875); the US Census data; the 1862, 1863 Kelley Directories of Nevada Territory, or subsequent Nevada business directories.
The ingot was written up by us previously as Nevada City, California, but after much thought, I cannot rule out any Nevada state mining camp. The style of the ingot is 1860’s, possibly into the early 1870’s. The Nevada City guess was appropriate, as the name “Nevada” is very often used from that period from Nevada City. But further research opened up too many doors into both Nevada City and into Nevada mining camps as a whole. W. L. Berry was born in New York to Reuben and Amanda Berry in 1845. They emigrated to California during the gold rush, landing in Salmon Falls, El Dorado County in 1860. It was “one of the earliest successful gold camps” according to Gudde, and may have been started by Mormons in 1848, It is now possibly covered by Folsom Lake. That year (1860), F. W. Blake was in Grass Valley in an assay business, moving to Carson in 1861, then to Unionville in 1862, and on to Golconda and later Silver City, Idaho in 1866.
In April, 1876, Berry opened an assay office for Blake in Tucson, AZ (Arizona Weekly Miner (4/28/1876). By 1880, he was gone from Arizona to parts unknown. For the rest of his life after 1860, W.L. Berry avoided the Federal Census, not unusual for a mining man that traveled from mining camp to mining camp. By 1880, the need for local assay offices was diminishing, and Berry likely would have taken a job with a producing mining company. He would thus not show up in a business directory with his own business, and if he was working in a remote mining camp, he was likely out of touch with census takers. If Berry was a student of Blake, as it appears obvious, the question is then where was he working between 1860 and 1876. It might be opined that a young Berry met up with Blake in Carson City or Unionville, though the possibility does exist that the coincidence of Blake in the Grass Valley area in 1860 and Berry nearby in the American River area near Auburn is what led to their meeting.
These two areas are very close together, and a happenstance meeting was easily possible, since Grass Valley-Nevada City were the two most populous towns in 1860, and these towns would have been a supply center for Salmon Falls. Did Berry open an assay office in Nevada City in the early 1860’s? only further newspaper research will perhaps show this, though few assayers advertised their work, especially Berry’s friend Blake. The strong possibility exists that Berry was also playing with the word “Nevada” in one of the remote Nevada mining camps, such as those where Blake worked.Regardless, the association of Berry and Blake is important, and may ultimately involve Pletz, another associate of Blake in Arizona.
6.55oz California. Nevada City. W.L. Berry. .854 fine silver. .015 fine gold.
25.3 mm x 55.0 mm x 15.6 mm. Trapezoidal, classic ingot form.
- Top face: stamped in single prepared punched in oval: W.L. BERRY. / ASSAYER. / NEVADA.
- Right face: stamped with serial No. 3
- Left face: stamped Oz 6.55.
- North face: stamped GOLD $1.46
- South face: SILVER $7.34
- Bottom face: marked SILVER 854 FINE / gold 15 FINE, the FINE prepared punch slightly too big for the size of the ingot.
This is the only Berry ingot known to Ford, Hodder, or Holabird. Little is known about Berry, though he was employed by F.W. Blake in Arizona in the 1870s.
This piece, based on the style, lack of Internal Revenue stamp, and the years that Nevada City flourished, is likely from between 1860 and 1864. This ingot was recognized as a collectible early on, placed in a handsome case and displayed by the great Waldo Newcomer; it is listed on B. Max Mehl’s 1931 inventory of the collection. This ingot is uniquely visual for its fine condition and bold stamping. Clearly, with a mark this well formed, Berry intended to produce many more. Either they were quite large, and thus prone to melting, or his assaying firm did not find the business it needed to stay open at Nevada City. It is interesting to think that when this ingot was just 50 to 60 years old, it was already deemed a numismatic collectible.
Provenance: From our sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XXI, October 2007, Lot 3503. Earlier, present in the Waldo Newcomer Collection before 1931. Acquired from the Kagin Collection in 1958.
[07/2009] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-B2LCO/california-nevada-city-wl-berry-655-ounces-854-fine-silver-015-fine-gold ($29,900)
W.L. Berry, Assayer. Nevada. Silver and gold assay ingot no. 3. Overall appearance of Very Fine. A very handsome and well made ingot with polished faces, nicely chamfered edges, and a pleasing trapezoidal shape. The assayer’s name and location as well as GOLD and SILVER were
accomplished by logotype punches. The piece is not dated and has no presentation inscription but it was clearly not made either to be spent or melted right away. It seems to have been a souvenir or keepsake of the time made using punches ordinarily intended for bars of much larger size
(note how the FINE punch twice runs off the bar).
This ingot was once in Newcomer’s Collection according to Mehl’s 1931 inventory.
- Face: SILVER 854 F[INE] / GOLD 15 FIN[E].
- Back: W.L. BERRY / ASSAYER / NEVADA.
- Top side: GOLD $1.46.
- Bottom side: SILVER $7.34.
- Left side: OZ / 6.65.
- Right side: No. 3.
- Dimensions: 54.8 x 25.4 x 15.3 mm.
- Current weight: 206.5 gms.
Noted on Mr. Ford’s illustrated informational card accompanying the lot as ex Kagin Collection on June 18, 1958.
[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6KD/wl-berry-assayer-nevada-silver-and-gold-assay-ingot-number-3 (Note: Pictures incorrect at URL)
This trapezoidal shaped gold and silver ingot measures approximately 2 x .75 x .5″ and weighs 206.5 grams.
Both faces of this ingot are polished. This ingot is from the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection .The Stack’s Catalog labeled this ingot as “The Only Bar by Berry Known to the Cataloguer” and “ex Art Kagin Collection, as well as ex Newcomer’s Collection, according to Mehl’s 1931 inventory”. Very Fine.
[06/2011] https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/9385442_nv-c1860s-berry-silver-ingot ($28,200)