Conrad Wiegand, Assayer – Rare Ingot – Vintage Silver, Gold Bars, and Rare Bullion

Wiegand was a notorious assayer, who got his start at the U.S. Mint in San Francisco.

His behavior was so disruptive, and assays of questionable quality (they often did not check or agree), that a mint employee once wrote to President Lincoln asking for his dismissal, and the letters are still on file in the Lincoln file in the national library in Washington, DC. He stayed at the branch mint through the early 1860s.

After serving as a supervising assayer at the U.S. branch mint at San Francisco, and later, superintendent of assaying at the Gould and Curry Mill, Conrad Wiegand opened his own office in Virginia City and then another at Gold Hill in June 1865 at the age of 35. He died in June 1880, by his own hand.

Conrad Wiegand’s ingots are probably the most popular of them all. This is due in part to the fact that there seem to be enough of them in collectors’ hands that one or two come on the market in any given year. Their popularity is also explainable by their appearance. Much like Francis Blake’s bars,
which exhibit a pleasing and regular layout of the information stamped on his bars, Wiegand’s also are remarkably regular in this same regard. In fact, a
Wiegand bar that has been damaged and no longer shows the assayer’s name can still be identified as one of Wiegand’s, just by the way the stamps on the bar are laid out. And perhaps more importantly, some of Wiegand’s bars are more gold than silver.

Advertisement of Conrad Wiegand from the “Pacific Coast Business Directory,” 1867 edition.

Wiegand’s bars are also the most popular because many of them are dated, their presentation or dedicatory inscriptions bearing year and sometimes even day dates. Blake’s bars do, too, of course, but there are more
Wiegand bars around and more of them are dated than are Blake’s. Among Wiegand’s bars the commonest date is 1866. The date is usually found directly underneath the Office of Internal Revenue’s stamp and the cataloguer suspects Wiegand dated the 1866 bars in that place to satisfy some tax regulation with which we are not familiar but that was probably part of the July 12, 1866 tax law that established a structure of licensing fees payable by assayers. Interestingly, Wiegand’s dated bars usually do not have bar numbers whereas the undated bars are all numbered.

Conrad Wiegand Ingot Count

Approximately 20 silver Wiegand ingots and 10 gold ingots are featured on this page, though more may still exist in the shadows. At least one more gold ingot has been reported by value but we haven’t ever seen it at auction, bringing the total to 31. We will update the census as we become aware of other pieces that may still exist in private collections.

The ingots to follow have been arranged with the silver ones listed first followed by the gold bars. Last among the Wiegand bars is a short series of “anomalous bars”, ones whose layouts are unlike the standard Wiegand type, carry unexpected inscriptions, or in one case are not punch linked to any other Wiegand ingot.

Silver Ingots

13.70 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Silver & gold assay ingot, August 10, 1871

Overall appearance of Extremely Fine. Deep silver gray color. Essentially as made and an ingot that clearly has been carefully handled since 1871. A presentation bar with deliberate layout of face elements to avoid the cooling fissure. Edges turned, all sides but face polished. Unusually thick and heavy for one of Wiegand’s products, judging from its present context. The shape of the bar shows that it was meant to lie with the narrower presentation side facing up and the wider cooling fissure side down.

Face: Oz 13.70 / GOLD. 10 FINE. / C.WIEGAND. [vertically at left] ASSAYER [vertically at right] / SILV. 986 FINE. / VAL. $20.30.
Back: R.BRAY / TO / W.I.BRAY / AUG 10. / 1871.
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: blank.
Dimensions: 66.9 x 34.4 x 19.2 mm.
Stated weight: 13.70 ozs.

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Ex Byron F. Johnson Collection (Bowers & Merena, January 26, 1989, lot 2582).

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6RF/conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-silver-gold-assay-ingot-august-10-1871 ($17,250)

5.80 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Silver & gold assay ingot no. 200. 1871

Overall appearance of Extremely Fine. A very pleasant looking bar. Pale silver gray in color. Some light marks but none disfiguring. Apparent edge dent at upper right into face deforms last numeral in weight and “g” on right side. The bar has been polished many times in the past and some letters and numerals are fading. Edges squared, corners sharp. A poignant, dated presentation bar dedicated by L. Siebenhauer to his parents and sisters. One hopes young Siebenhauer’s life was happy.

Face: NO 200. / Ozs.5.80 / GOLD. 36 1/2 / SILV. 962 [lengthwise] FINE / C.WIEGAND. / ASSAYER / GOLD.$ 4.38 / SILV.$ 7.22 / VAL.$ 11.60.
Back: [lengthwise]Seinen / Eltern&Geschwistern / von / L.Siebenhauer [To his parents and sisters from L.Siebenhauer]
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: Virginia 1871.
Dimensions: 57.7 x 24.6 x 11.5 mm.
Current weight: 174.3 gms.

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Purchased by Ron Gillio at the California State Numismatic Association convention on April 21, 1978, Fred S. Werner, consigned by him to NASCA’s Allan Scott Collection sale (April 28, 1980, lot 2447), bought by Mr. Ford.

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6RL/conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-silver-gold-assay-ingot-no-200-1871 ($17,250)

[04/1980] https://archive.org/details/allanleescottcol1980numi/page/144/

1.50 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Silver & gold assay ingot no. 458

Overall appearance of Very Fine. Dark gray in color. Surfaces quite rough in places, discoloration in center of back (possibly a removed sentiment). Squared edges, sharp corners. If there weren’t an inscription on the back one might class this an unsold or remaindered presentation bar.

Face: No 458. / Ozs. 1.50 / GOLD. 33 1/12 FINE [vertically at right between this and next] SILV. 957 / C.WIEGAND. / ASSAYER / GOLD $1.04 / SILV. $1.85 / VAL. $2.89.
Back: blank within an ornamental border.
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: blank.
Dimensions: 40.7 x 18.1 x 5.9 mm.
Current weight: 46.36 gms.

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Ex Rossa & Tannenbaum on November 15, 1984.

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6RR/conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-silver-gold-assay-ingot-no-458 ($13,800)

This 1.50 troy ounce silver ingot is a typical Comstock ingot of silver fineness .957 and gold .0335. The ingot measures approximately 1.5″ long x 0.75″ wide x .25″ tall. It is characteristic of Conrad Wiegand in nearly every way, typically marked with punches in an orderly fashion on the face. The other attribute of this ingot that is normal for Wiegand is the reverse, where a pattern has been punched around the edge. This was clearly made for the purpose of engraving something within the rectangle so that the ingot could be used as a presentation piece. The ingot was probably purchased from Wiegand for a fee from his assay office, though it was never engraved, as were a few of others seen in private collections today. From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection.

Provenance: HKA The Rush For Gold 2008 & Stack’s 2007. Conrad Wiegand was a boisterous man who was born in Philadelphia, worked for the US Mint, and came to the California Gold Rush in the early 1850’s. He went to work for the US Branch Mint in San Francisco at or near its inception in 1854. Wiegand was small in stature, but big in ideas, and even stronger still in his opinions. He was a devoutly religious person who saw such injustice in the world that he undertook the publishing of his own newspaper – two of them, in fact. His other passion was the metals question, particularly his political stance generally held by most miners that money should be in the form of circulating hard specie – gold and silver coinage and ingots. Wiegand’s outspoken nature repeatedly got him into trouble, especially during his life on the Comstock. He was severely physically assaulted and beaten twice, which endeared him to the likes of Sam Clemens. As he advanced in age, his mental troubles worsened. Ultimately, his life ended in a hangman’s noose at the age of 50 in Virginia City. A number of his precious metal ingots exist today as testimony of his work as a mainstream western assayer. These include nearly every phase of gold, silver and copper bullion in which Wiegand worked, as well as examples of items used to promote monetary specie. [Ref: Fred Holabird]

[08/2012] https://www.icollector.com/Wiegand-Silver-Ingot-No-458-NV-Virginia-City-Storey-County-c1870-5-2012aug-Numismatic_i13391254 ($12,547)

[10/2010] https://www.icollector.com/Virginia-City-NV-Storey-County-c1870-5-Wiegand-Silver-Ingot-No-458_i9800496 (Passed)

2.70 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Silver & gold assay ingot no. 110

Overall appearance of Extremely Fine. No important marks requiring mention. This bar looks like a presentation ingot that was never used as such. Medium silver gray in color with somewhat bright surfaces. Squared edges, sharp corners, ornamental pattern around face and back. The observant reader will by now have noticed how regular are the dimensions of Wiegand’s small bars.

Face: No.110 / Ozs.2.70 / GOLD. 27 FINE [vertically at right between this and next] SILV. 870 / C.WIEGAND. / ASSAYER / GOLD. $1.53 / SILV. $3.04 / VAL. $4.57, the whole within an ornamental border at the side.
Back: blank, ornamental border at the side.
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: blank.
Dimensions: 55.7 x 20.9 x 6.8 mm.
Current weight: 82.2 gms.

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Purchased by Ron Gillio at the Pasadena, California coin show in November, 1975, sold to Fred S. Werner during the Central States Numismatic Society convention in Milwaukee on May 13, 1977, consigned to NASCA’s Allan Scott Collection sale (April 28, 1980, lot 2446), bought by Mr. Ford.

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6RX/conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-silver-gold-assay-ingot-no-110 ($19,550)

[04/1980] https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctionlots?AucCoId=511370&AuctionId=521430

4.40 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Silver & gold assay ingot no. 7091

Overall appearance of Very Fine. Quite dark in color with somewhat rough surfaces. Not a terribly well made ingot and not really up to Wiegand’s standards for a presentation bar, which this almost certainly is not. Squared off face but rounded back and other edges, deep cooling fissure on back, inclusions and flaws on that side render the bar quite unattractive. Mr. Ford first learned of the existence of this ingot in a telephone call from Vernon Brown on February 28, 1958. Brown said the piece was owned by Garland C. Hughes of Grand Rapids. In the meantime, Hughes had telephoned Walter Breen about the bar. Mr. Ford contacted Hughes, who replied in a note dated June 9, 1958 saying “owner will not release the piece at this time – will keep in touch.” The bar was lost to Mr. Ford’s view until November, 1987, when John Helva of Cal National Coin Exchange offered it to him at $6,000. Mr. Ford countered with $3,500, only to learn one month later that the bar had been sold for $4,500. Twelve years later, the ingot reappeared in Fred Holabird’s late 1999 offering priced at $4,900.

Face: No7091. / Ozs.4.40 / GOLD.15 1/2 FINE [vertically at right between this and next] SILV.558 / C.WIEGAND. / ASSAYER / GOLD.$ 1.41 / SILV.$3.17 / VAL.$4.58.
Back: blank.
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: blank.
Dimensions: 52.3 x 29.0 x 10.6 mm.
Current weight: 138.0 gms.

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Ex Heritage’s sale of February 2, 1989, lot 2999; the same ingot later appeared in Columbus Industries (Fred Holabird) offering in November, 1999.

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6S3/conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-silver-gold-assay-ingot-no-7091 ($17,250)

Conrad Weigand Silver-Gold Ingot, No. 7091
Fred N. Holabird, c2023

Important Conrad Weigand Silver-Gold ingot, x-Ford (2007), x-Rush for Gold (2008), x-Bonanza Sale (2010).

This 4.40 troy ounce ingot is .558 fine silver and .0155 fine gold, $1.41 gold and $3.17 silver, total value $4.58. There are no markings on the reverse.
This silver-gold ingot is quite different from other Conrad Weigand ingots. It is a classic dore bar from a silver-gold deposit with a significant amount of another metal, probably copper (we did not have time to test it at American Assay labs). Dore bars usually carry the major metals contained in the ore deposit in the actual original ratios of the metals found in the concentrates. Dore bars produced by mining companies usually remove the copper and iron through the use of specific fluxes. In this manner, the mining companies have a more marketable product, without the worry of deductions taken for impurities, and copper was the major impurity in nineteenth century Nevada mining.

Weigand and other Western assayers were known for making approximate five ounce silver ingots for private parties. They were used to illustrate the precious metals of the mining districts, mines, and often given as presentation ingots to friends and family. Additionally, small precious metal ingots were regularly used in exhibitions, were used in mining camp community prizes and other events or occasions, rendering the ingot as a lifetime keepsake. Evidence of these facts are seen in this very catalog- where a large Ruhling ingot was given to a third party as evidenced in an 1860s photograph; a silver ingot was used as a presentation piece from person to person; and a unique photographic remembrance ingot was given to a favorite person. A CDV in this sale shows three small ingots that were clearly prized by the owner.

This ingot was made by Wiegand from dore bullion or crushed ore from an unknown specific mine, probably for the mine owner, who did not see the need to stamp either his name or the mine the ore came from. At this point in time, some fifteen years removed from my lengthy article in Rush for Gold (2008) on Wiegand, I think the origin of this ingot may not be the Comstock, but an outlier mining district. The silver value is apparently too low for Comstock, possibly lower than any other Comstock bullion assay I’ve seen (note I said “possibly”)

Elliott Lord mentions the mining of copper ores near the Walker River in Comstock Mining and Miners, 1883, p202, which was brought in to help in ore milling processes. George Becker, in Geology of the Comstock, 1882, p22 stated: “The amount of lead, copper, iron and zinc has never been large in the Comstock.” Other early authors have cited copper coming from the north end of the Comstock, but never in great quantity.

It thus must be assumed that this dore ingot is the product of a prospector’s ore, brought into the public, independent assayer, for rendering into a bullion bar. Most of the assayers worked for specific mining companies, who were all producing regularly and required their own assay lab. Many examples of bullion receipts from mine assay offices are in this sale, as are many bullion receipts from independent public assayers, who wrote the mine or mill name on the receipt. Unfortunately for all, I do not think a matched pair of ingot and bullion receipt exist today. Was it a keepsake? Was it for exhibition at a brokerage firm to raise money? Was it for a public exhibition or fair? We will never know.

Now- on the subject of fake Western assay bars. Karl Moulton and I have had significant time discussing and researching this very subject. Yes, there are fakes. But this bar is not one of them. Nobody in their right mind would produce a perfectly marked bar that compares nearly perfectly to the SSCA bars of 1857, not seen publicly until about 2000, with an overall low silver and gold value, let alone as an original dore bar containing copper. The bar does not have metallic pizzaz as do the fakes. It is simply too low grade. But it does have reality all over it.

Today in 2023, we have found very strong evidence of who made many of the fake assay bars. I might even say “irrefutable evidence.” But that is another story for an upcoming book or two.

[06/2023] https://www.icollector.com/Wiegand-Silver-Gold-Ingot-No-7091-168048_i49289702 ($18,750)

[10/2010] https://www.icollector.com/Virginia-City-NV-Storey-County-c1873-Wiegand-Silver-Ingot-No-7091_i9800497 ($9,900)

1.75 oz Conrad Wiegand, Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Mixed Metal Assay Ingot. Gold and Silver. (54.1 grams, actual). Face Value: $3.07.

30.75 mm x 18 mm x 9.5 mm. Unmarked as to the assayer, but clearly the work of Conrad Wiegand whose distinctive style is easy to identify. Neatly made, giving the ounces, finenesses of gold and silver, value for each metallic content and the total face value of the bar on the face. The four sides and back are without markings. The back (actually the top when the ingot is produced in the mold) shows small central depressions which are natural, as made artifacts. Edges neatly squared, but slightly rounded from wear as this bar has seen some handling. Small reeding marks are noted in places from contact with coins likely in a transport bag. The style and application of the punches match the signed works of Wiegand, and the punches seem to match those used on certain Wiegand bars we have seen. However, the bar is unusual in that it bears no name punch, no number and no date. Usually, one or more of these features are present. The dated bars we have seen range from 1866 to 1874, and based on these observations, this bar likely dates to between the opening of his office in 1865 to sometime in the mid-1870s.

[08/2015] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/1-1DCV2/conrad-wiegand-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-mixed-metal-assay-ingot-gold-and-silver-175-ounces-541-grams-actual-face-value ($2,585)

2.55 oz Conrad Wiegand Silver Ingot. Virginia City, circa 1870 to 1885. Face Value: $4.52

The top face has the imprint OZ 2.55 / G25.4 F S966 / $4.52. The back side has a partial Internal Revenue stamp and there is a long, tear-shaped depression, as usually seen on the back side of ingots. One long, narrow side has CONRAD WIEGAND and the opposite long, narrow side states ASSAYER. One of the short sides has 899 imprinted.
A number of Wiegand ingots are known, and the bullion gang punch with his name is nearly always the same, a small lettered single punch. This ingot is marked in the classic manner: serial number, weight in troy ounces, fineness of gold and silver, assayer’s name, gold and silver dollar values, and a total ingot value at the base.
From The Kagin Reference Collection of Frontier Ingots.

[08/2006] https://coins.ha.com/itm/ingots/conrad-wiegand-silver-ingot-virginia-city-circa-1870-to-1885-the-top-face-has-the-imprint-oz-255-g254-f-s966-452/a/414-2586.s ($17,250)

5.40 oz Conrad Wiegand Silver Ingot. ca. 1870 to 1885.

This larger, uniface piece shows all the usual Wiegand imprints but seen here in an expanded version. The imprints read from top to bottom: R / No 4007 (with rosette inside the second zero) / Ozs. 5.40 / GOLD 12 / SILV. 979 / FINE (punched in sideways) / C WIEGAND. / ASSAYER / GOLD $1.34 / SILV $6.83 / VAL $8.17. Medium-deep gray patina over the surfaces.

From The Kagin Reference Collection of Frontier Ingots.

[08/2006] https://coins.ha.com/itm/ingots/conrad-wiegand-silver-ingot-ca-1870-to-1885-a-second-wiegand-ingot-this-larger-uniface-piece-shows-all-the-usual-wiegan/a/414-2587.s ($17,250)

7.6 oz Undated (Circa 1870s) Conrad Wiegand Presentation Ingot. Mixed Metal, Gold and Silver. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Presented to “Martha”

55.5 mm x 27.5 mm x 15.5 mm. The face with the usual extensive assayer markings, C.WIEGAND / ASSAYER at center, in his typical small punches. Above, the weight (7.60 ounces), and purities (Gold .36 FINE; SILV. 959 FINE) are given. Below Wiegand’s mark he gives the value breakdown, GOLD $5.61; SILV. $9.42; VAL. $15.03, in three lines. A charming Wiegand bar, newly discovered in the care of a family in which it has descended for at least a few generations. According to the family, this piece was received by an ancestor as payment for legal services, an interesting story illustrating the ease with which these bars could be used in trade. While this was not the primary purpose, it remained a useful effect of having them clearly marked as to composition and value. Many such ingots show evidence of use in commerce, often in the form of “reeding marks” imparted by large coins while being transported with them in canvas bags. In fact, these marks are useful for authentication purposes as it shows that any bar in question was, at least for a time, used in trade.

This example is a pleasing medium silver gray with areas of deeper, almost olive patina. Scattered handling marks in addition to the reeding marks are noted, and a few short scratches consistent with what is often seen on such pieces. Weigand’s bars are popular with collectors, largely for their relative availability, though all Western assay bars are scarce if not absolutely rare. Weigand made very clean bars with ornamentation, as well as less ornate examples. This is among the less ornate, but it is well made, with well defined edges and corners. Among the most desirable ingots from any assayer are those considered presentation pieces like this one. Engraved on one side, “Martha,” in simple cursive with fine flourishes around. Who Martha is remains unknown, and is not likely to be discovered, but she seems to have had captured the attention of Mr. Weigand or one of his associates.

While undated, we have placed this bar in the early 1870s. The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection included 14 Wiegand bars, all mixed metal, and four of them largely gold. Six of these bars were dated, and this one shares the general appearance and some layout elements with two different bars dated 1871 and 1874.

[02/2014] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/1-1QKR0/undated-circa-1870s-conrad-wiegand-presentation-ingot-mixed-metal-gold-and-silver-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-extremely-fine

8.40z ND (c.1870s) Conrad Wiegand Ingot, Virginia City, Nevada, Face Value: $18.87

Serial number 580. Assay information and values given in nine neat rows across entire face of the bar. Lightly handled showing little in the way of scuffs or bumps and covered with a pleasing moderate patina.

For a longer description, see the same ingot auctioned in the Ford 2007 sale at Stacks Bowers to follow.

[12/2023] https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/1474940/ND-c1870s-Virginia-City-Nevada-840oz-Conrad-Wiegand-IngotBar-Uncertified-AGW-042-oz-ASW-7879-oz-from-photo ($24,187)

Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Silver & gold assay ingot no. 580.

Overall appearance of Very Fine. A somewhat crudely finished bar with smoothed sides and chamfered corners. Some discoloration, signs of oxidation. Deep cooling fissure on back and surface rough there, this bar has none of the characteristics of a presentation ingot. Mr. Ford often learned about ingots and made up data cards on them before he actually bought them. Sometimes, he was never able to purchase a bar, yet his index card on the piece allowed him to track it through the trade or better appreciate the rarity of its assayer. The presently offered ingot is a case in point, as his note on the card accompanying this lot, about thinking the bar needed to be cleaned but being unable to do so because it was not his, clearly shows.

Face: No580 / Ozs. 8.40 / GOLD. 50 FINE. / SILV. 938 FINE. / C.WIEGAND. / ASSAYER. / GOLD.$ 8.68 / SILV.$ 10.19 / VAL.$18.87.
Back: blank.
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: blank.
Dimensions: 65.8 x 33.7 x 12.0 mm.
Current weight: 262.9 gms.

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Described on Mr. Ford’s informational card as “Prop. of Ronald J. Gillio, who has store in Santa Barbara, Calif. at 12 W. Figueroa St. Purchased by R. Gillio from young man in late 1973, allegedly for $600. Gillio said to have been offered [price in code] for ingot! In Feb. 1976 Gillio told me that cost was [price in code]-young guy obtained it from Father or Grandfather-had produce store, they got it, allegedly, from a Chinaman. Card made up 8/4/74. Obt[ained] from Gillio by Fred Werner, 5/12-14/77,Central States Conv., Milwaukee, ostensibly at R.G.’s asking price of $2,000, but actually in trade (against gilt mt’d Jap gold). Taken by JJF, 5/18[77], at [price in code], as part of [price in code] purchase.” Card and Rankow photographs accompany the lot.

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6SF ($12,650)

5.02 oz Gold Hill,NV – Storey County – Nov. 1st, 1869 – Gallagher-Butsch Silver Presentation Ingot

Obverse reads: From Tho’s. Gallagher Gold Hill / To L.C. Butsch Lancaster OHIO
Reverse reads: No 25. / Ozs. 5.02 / Gold 41 fine / Silv 954 fine / C. Wiegand / Assayer / Gold $4.25 / Silv $6.19 / Val. $10.44
Side reads: Nov. 1st 1869
Measures: 2 1/2” x 1” x 3/8”

This silver ingot made by Gold Hill Assayer Conrad Weigand is a presentation piece meant as a fancy keepsake for two longtime friends. Thomas Gallagher was the proprietor of the Gold Hill Express and also owned a wood and coal yard. Valentine Butsch was his watchman who lived just down the road near the Leviathan Mine just below Gold Hill. Gallagher appears to have sent this specially made ingot to Butsch’s relative (daughter?) back home in Lancaster, Ohio as a present on November 1, 1869, which may have been her birthday. (We were unable to find L. C. Butsch in Census records, which is probably due to the unusual surname.)This is one of a very few classic presentation bars made by Weigand for others. Gold Hills News editor Alf Doten remarked about the Butsch sisters at a dance in Gold Hill in 1865. The Gallaghers (and Randalls) were great friends of Dotens. Doten mentioned them quite a bit in his Journals (1973, UNR Press), and noted that Thomas and family often went to McKinney’s at Tahoe for short trips. The friendship dropped off a bit when Gallagher didn’t pay his advertising bill with Doten in the early 1880’s, but the two worked it out, and Doten got paid.

[09/2009] https://archive.org/details/2009_09Stck_PhillyAmerCoin_LR/2009_09Stck_PhillyAmerCoin_LR/page/n127/

[10/2010] https://www.icollector.com/Gold-Hill-NV-Storey-County-Nov-1st-1869-Gallagher-Butsch-Silver-Presentation-Ingot_i9799910 ($1,680)

6.60 oz Emily Wiegand Silver Ingot NV – Gold Hill,Storey County – c1860s – 2012aug

This silver ingot is from an old coin collection that became known to us about a year ago. It is a classic Assayer’s ingot, complete with the usual Wiegand logo punch. It is serial number 89, 6.60 troy ounces, gold 021 fine, silver 970 fine, gold $2.87 and silver $8.27, value $11.14. It is engraved with a classic fancy border, typical of many of the Wiegand ingots. On the reverse is a single word, “Emily.” The physical characteristics are consistent with other ingots produced in the late 1860’s to 1870’s. As a self-identified Wiegand ingot, it is one of about nineteen different Wiegand ingots known today.

The name “Emily” appears in large bold letters on the reverse. The lack of a surname is significant, but may indicate a familiarity of the person with the local community. If so, that person may be Emily Flagg, wife of Gold Hill banker and mining man H. H. Flagg. Emily, born in 1839, was 11 years junior to her husband. Flagg had been a successful banker and mining broker since the 1860’s, and probably a good friend of Wiegand. Flagg was popular. As a broker, he traded in Comstock securities daily, while also tending to his own banking business in Gold Hill. As a speculator, he and his business were subject to the manipulations of the stock Market, particularly the San Francisco Exchange, where most of the Comstock stocks were traded. In February, 1872, Flagg’s bank and brokerage were suspended because he was short on 600 shares of Savage and some Gould & Curry. A citizens committee was called to try to help him, trying to keep his creditors from closing the business. The closure affected Gold Hill News editor Alf Doten, who wrote about it in his journals and in his newspaper. 1872 was the year of the great Crown Point bonanza at Gold Hill. The stocks were heavily manipulated by John P Jones and William Sharon (among others), and Flagg may have been a victim. Ultimately, Flagg was crushed, and he and Emily left the Comstock shortly afterwards.

The possibility of a tie of this ingot to the Flagg family is also backed up by the fact that the Flagg estate was distributed over the past three decades, and at least two batches of Nevada Territorial stocks were released by family descendants, all bearing H. H. Flagg’s name. Another interesting statistic is that there were only 38 people with the name “Emily” in all of the Comstock for the 1870 and 1880 Censuses. Only one of these made much sense for this ingot, Emily Flagg. However, the tie is not exact, and we may never truly know the identity of our mysterious “Emily.”

[08/2012] https://www.icollector.com/Emily-Wiegand-Silver-Ingot-NV-Gold-Hill-Storey-County-c1860s-2012aug-Numismatic_i13391245 ($20,912)

This silver ingot is from an old coin collection that became known to us several years ago. It is a classic Assayer’s ingot, complete with the usual Wiegand logo punch. It is serial number 89, 6.60 troy ounces, gold 021 fine, silver 970 fine, gold $2.87 and silver $8.27, value $11.14. It is engraved with a classic fancy border, typical of many of the Wiegand ingots. On the reverse is a single word, “Emily.” The physical characteristics are consistent with other ingots produced in the late 1860’s to 1870’s. As a self-identified Wiegand ingot, it is one of about nineteen different Wiegand ingots known today.
The name “Emily” appears in large bold letters on the reverse. The lack of a surname is significant, but may indicate a familiarity of the person with the local community. If so, that person may be Emily Flagg, wife of Gold Hill banker and mining man H. H. Flagg. Emily, born in 1839, was 11 years junior to her husband. Flagg had been a successful banker and mining broker since the 1860’s, and probably a good friend of Wiegand. Flagg was popular. As a broker, he traded in Comstock securities daily, while also tending to his own banking business in Gold Hill. As a speculator, he and his business were subject to the manipulations of the stock Market, particularly the San Francisco Exchange, where most of the Comstock stocks were traded. In February, 1872, Flagg’s bank and brokerage were suspended because he was short on 600 shares of Savage and some Gould & Curry. A citizens committee was called to try to help him, trying to keep his creditors from closing the business. The closure affected Gold Hill News editor Alf Doten, who wrote about it in his journals and in his newspaper. 1872 was the year of the great Crown Point bonanza at Gold Hill. The stocks were heavily manipulated by John P Jones and William Sharon (among others), and Flagg may have been a victim. Ultimately, Flagg was crushed, and he and Emily left the Comstock shortly afterwards.
The possibility of a tie of this ingot to the Flagg family is also backed up by the fact that the Flagg estate was distributed over the past three decades, and at least two batches of Nevada Territorial stocks were released by family descendants, all bearing H. H. Flagg’s name. Another interesting statistic is that there were only 38 people with the name “Emily” in all of the Comstock for the 1870 and 1880 Censuses. Only one of these made much sense for this ingot, Emily Flagg. However, the tie is not exact, and we may never truly know the identity of our mysterious “Emily.”
Ex: Holabird-Kagin’s sale of August, 2012, Lot# 1402.

[09/2017] https://www.icollector.com/Nevada-Gold-Hill-C-Wiegand-11-14-Silver-Ingot_i27907316 ($12,925)

0.50 oz Virginia City,NV – Storey County – c1870-85 – Conrad Wiegand Silver Watch Fob Ingot

Front reads: OZ 050 / G57 / S932 (FINE written long ways) / $1.19;
Side reads: C. WIEGAND / ASSAYER. Measures: 25mm x 12mm x 6mm.

Wiegand was a notorious assayer, who got his start at the U.S. Mint in San Francisco. His behavior was so disruptive, and his assays of questionable quality (they often did not check or agree), that a mint employee once wrote to President Lincoln asking for his dismissal. Mark Twain describes Wiegand at length in Roughing It. Wiegand stayed at the Branch Mint through the early 1860s, before working for Gould & Curry mill in Virginia City, Nevada, around 1866-67. Wiegand started his own assay office in Virginia City and for a brief time expanded his business to two office, the other located in Gold Hill. Most of the surviving Wiegand ingots are relatively small and carry the familiar bullion gang punch of his name in small letters. This ingot has a fancy engraved border, typical of some of his presentation ingots.

[10/2010] https://www.icollector.com/Virginia-City-NV-Storey-County-c1870-85-Conrad-Wiegand-Silver-Watch-Fob-Ingot_i9800442 (Passed)

[01/2008] https://www.icollector.com/Conrad-Wiegand-Half-Ounce-Silver-Ingot_i7633481 ($8,700)

[08/2024] https://bidnow.vegascoindealer.com/Event/LotDetails/252029/Wiegands-Smallest-Known-Silver-Ingot-210oz-119-A-Comstock-Lode-Miniature ($22,550)

7.20 oz NV,Virginia City-Storey County,C. Wiegand Assayer Ingot, Face Value: $15.62

A fine ingot from the well known Conrad Wiegand of Gold Hill and Virginia City Nevada, circa 1875. This 54mm x 30mm x 14mm ingot is stamped on the front face “No 1702 1/2/ Ozs. 7.30/ Gold. 47 Fine./ Silv. 904 Fine./ C. Wiegand./ Assayer/ Gold $ 7.09/ Silv. $ 8.53/ Val. $ 15.62”.

The ingot bears no other markings. The weight is 7.20 troy ounces, the same as is stamped on the ingot. This ingot comes to us from a central California family. The marking for the serial number is unique, and may reflect Wiegan`s need to be spontaneously creative. My guess is that he poured this bar as a small bar as part of a single, but larger pour, rendering this small bar for the owner as a keepsake. Thus on the bullion assay and submittal sheet, Wiegand would have shown a single number, 1702, but two resulting bars, one numbered 1702 and the other 1702 1/2. The number 1703 would have already been assigned to the next pour prior to melting this batch. I suspect taking a small ingot from the batch was a last minute decision by Wiegand based upon his customer’s needs.

[08/2013] https://www.icollector.com/NV-Virginia-City-Storey-County-C-Wiegand-Assayer-Ingot_i16987005 ($9,560)

[10/2024] https://bidnow.vegascoindealer.com/Event/LotDetails/255892/Rare-730-oz-19th-Century-C-Wiegand-Assayer-Ingot ($24,000)

2.10 oz No 94 Wiegand, Face Value: $3.03

Wiegand No 94 serial number, obverse reads: Ozs: 2.10, Gold 8 Fine, Silv. 990 Fine, C Wiegand Assayer, GOLD $0.35, SILV $2.68, VAL. $3.03

3.25 oz Silver Ingot. Unmarked ingot issued by Conrad Wiegand, Assayer in Gold Hill

Curiously this ingot is only one extra serial away from the one previously mentioned!

Assay Office, Gold Hill, Nevada. This bar is numbered 96, containing 3.35 ozs. It reads: Gold 18 Fine/Silv 948 Fin(e)/ Gold $1.24/ Silv. $4.10/ Val $5.34. Around the edges are stamped: T.R. PLANT/ C.B. Wyckoff/ June/ 1882, which is most probably the presentation date rather than manufacturing date, and are of completely different die punches than the face lettering. Careful comparison of the type used is virtually positive proof that the bar was of Wiegand’s issue, and his usual logotype, C. WIEGAND/ ASSAYER, was inadvertently left off the bar (usually between silver content and gold value lines). A most interesting detailed background of the man can be found in Stack’s Gibson Sale catalogue of November 1 1, 1974.

[07/1979] https://archive.org/details/auction79uniteds1979stac/page/350/

7.30 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Silver
& gold assay ingot, 1874

Overall appearance of Extremely Fine and quite an attractive bar. Pale silver gray in color. Largely free from severe marks, this was carefully handled since its initial presentation. Squared edges, sharp corners. Nicely tooled ornamentation around the edges on face and back. Wiegand probably made up small bars like these with all the assay information on one face and sold them to buyers who wanted a souvenir. The bars could them be engraved with whatever presentation remarks and ornamentation the buyer wanted and cared to pay for. It’s possible that Wiegand’s shop provided the engraving service, too, since all that was needed was a good eye, steady hand, and a set of tools. It’s also possible that the buyer took his Wiegand made bar to a local engraving shop, say, in a watchmaker’s or even gunsmith’s stand, and paid for the work to be done, there.

Face: [within a decorative border]: Ozs.7.30 / GOLD 30 FINE / SILV. 952FINE / C.WIEGAND. / ASSAYER / GOLD. $4.52 / SILV. $8.98 / VAL. $13.50 / 8.
Back [lengthwise within a decorative border]: FROM F.O. GREEN / TO HENRY AMBJONSON. / 1874.
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: blank.
Dimensions: 59.7 x 29.4 x 12.0 mm.
Current weight: 224.6 gms.

Purchased by Harry Forman from L.P. Young at the Cal-State Convention in San Francisco on April 9, 1959; in Paul Franklin’s collection in January, 1961; subsequently sold to Mr. Ford.

STOLEN

Shortly before this catalogue went to press, this 7.30 oz silver Wiegand and four other ingots from the Ford Collection were stolen during transit. Since they had already been photographed and described, Stack’s decided to retain their lot descriptions in this catalog in order to preserve their numismatic evidence for future researchers and to aid in their hoped recovery.

Gold Ingots

Following is a list of eleven (11) Conrad Wiegand gold ingots known to have existed in the past 50 years along with references as to where they are located or last auction appearances:

(*) NOTE: One of them is not over 50% gold but has pale yellow color at 26.5%.

1.10 oz – $20.00 – Ford Sale, 2007
1.11 oz – $20.00 – Smithsonian
1.28 oz – $16.80 – NASCA, 1980
X.XX oz – $23.68 – UNKNOWN
1.48 oz – $27.40 – Clifford Sale, 1982
1.50 oz – $26.95 – Ford Sale, 2007
2.18 oz – $36.42 – Ford Sale, 2007
2.34 oz – $39.28 – Gibson Collection, 1974 (has $38.86 Gold)
2.76 oz – $50.60 – Ford Sale, 2007
4.80 oz – $30.28 – Ford Sale, 2007 (Hybrid Gold)
4.26 oz – $78.42 – Smithsonian

2.18 Oz, 1866 Dated, Conrad Wiegand, Assayer Gold & Silver Assay Ingot. Nevada–Gold Hill, Virginia City.

35.5 x 28.6 x 4.3mm. 67.4 grams. Nicely stamped and pale yellow gold in color. Some small flaws on back, several deep and somewhat disfiguring marks on the front, small test cut on back left edge. Squared off edges, sharp corners, faces polished before stamping. A nice looking bar.

Face: Ozs. 2.18 / GOLD. 801FINE / SILV. 119FINE / VAL. $36.42 / OIR stamp / 1866 /[along lower right side] C. WIEGAND. / ASSAYER;
Back: C.WIEGAND / ASSAYER / GOLD HILL. NEV

Provenance: From The Brian Dobbins Collection. Earlier from our October 2007 sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XXI, lot 3548. Earlier Ex Paul Franklin September 12, 1965; sold to Robert Batchelder on July 8, 1966; and Sotheby’s March 3, 1983 sale of the S. Hallock duPont Collection, lot 312.

[03/2018] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-9J48D/nevada-gold-hill-virginia-city-1866-conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-silver-assay-ingot-355-x-286-x-43mm-674-grams-very-fine ($11,400)

The bar is stamped on the front with its weight, 2.18 ounces, its gold and silver finenesses (801 and 119, respectively), its value, a round Internal Revenue stamp, the date 1566, and Wiegand’s name and occupation. The back is stamped with Wiegand’ name and place of business. The novelist Mark Twain met Wiegand in Gold Fill and wrote about him in his book Roughing It (1872).

[03/1990] https://archive.org/details/epnbox37-rf90-blakeargewllterr/page/n53/

1.10 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Gold & silver assay ingot, 1866.

Overall appearance of Very Fine. Pale yellow gold in color. Numerous superficial marks on all sides. A nicely finished bar with squared edges and sharp corners. One of only two $20.00 Wiegand bars known to the cataloguer.

Face: Ozs. 1.10 / GOLD. 883 FINE [vertically at right between this and next] SILV. 111 / C.WIEGAND. / ASSAYER / VAL. $20.00.
Back: bottom half of OIR stamp / VAL. / $20.00 / gold. / top half of OIR stamp / 1866.
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: blank.
Dimensions: 27.1 x 21.1 x 3.5 mm.
Current weight: 33.70 gms.

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Ex Paul Franklin on December 8, 1960, sold to Stack’s on February 28, 1961, sold by Stack’s to Henry Gibson, Gibson Collection (Stack’s, November 11, 1974, lot 219). Mr. Ford’s informational card and Rankow photographs accompany the lot.

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6QX/conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-gold-silver-assay-ingot-1866

$20.00. 1866. Gold Assay ingot, C. WIEGAND, ASSAYER. OZS. 1.10 / GOLD.

883 / SILV. Ill/ FINE (verticaly at r., reading upwards) / (name) / (title) / VAL. $20.00. Rev. VAL. / $20.00 / GOLD. / (date, towards bottom). Lower part of U. S. Internal Revenue bullion tax stamp at upper part of reverse, upper part of tax stamp initially punched upon lower area of rev. (prior to stamping of date). 519.70 Grains. Fine, extensively nicked and abraded. One of two $20 Wiegand gold ingots presently known, the other dated 1867 and marked OZS. 1.11 / GOLD. 880 / SILV. 109. That piece weighs approximately 530 Grains. This ingot was found by Paul Franklin in a shop selling coins and gold specimens, located in Reno, Nevada, in mid 1960. John Ford obtained it from Franklin in a trade, and sold it to us in 1961. We in turn sold it to Mr. Gibson. One of the smallest Wiegand ingots (the other $20 being considerably larger), but nevertheless very rare and important.

The careful reader will notice above that there’s another $20 gold Wiegand known with a very slight difference in weight, but it is housed at the Smithsonian Institution (below).

[11/1974] https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctionlots?AucCoId=3&AuctionId=516500

1.11 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Virginia, Nev., Hanak, Gold & silver assay ingot, $20.00, 1867

An impressive ingot in the perfect denomination of $20.00. Very likely intended to be used as a monetary / functional ingot in commerce.

This ingot is now permanently located at the Smithsonian Institution.

See: https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/nmah_472675

2.76 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Gold and silver assay ingot, 1866.

Extremely Fine in overall appearance. Very nice bright yellow gold color. Minor superficial roughness but no flaws or disfiguring marks needing mention. Not as well formed as other Wiegand bars, the piece cooled preferentially and the long sides look bowed inward. Otherwise, a nicely made ingot with squared off sides and corners. Portions of the outlines of the WIEGAND, ASSAYER, and SILV. logotype punches can be seen in places around those words.

Face: Ozs. 2.76 / GOLD. 880 FINE [vertically at right between this and next] SILV. 111 / C.WIEGAND. / ASSAYER / GOLD $50.2 / SILV. $.40 / VAL. $50.60.
Back: $50.60 / OIR stamp / 1866.
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: blank.
Dimensions: 39.9 x 22.1 x 5.5 mm.
Current weight: 85.89 gms.

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Purchased privately though Jon Hanson on June 22, 1984.

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6R9/conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-gold-and-silver-assay-ingot-1866 ($40,250)

[01/2017] https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?inventoryid=252708 ($16,800)

2.34 oz $39.28. 1867. Gold Assay ingot, C. WIEGAND. ASSAYER. OZS. 2.34 / GOLD

821 FINE / SILV. 141 FINE / (name; the C. WIEGAND logotype triple punched) / (title; logotype frame indentation shows at lower r.) / GOLD. $38.86 / SILV. $ .42 / VAL. $39.28. Rev. C. WIEGAND. / ASSAYER / (large) 3 / T.D. (Treasury Department; curved to fit U.S.I.R. stamping below) / (date). The date 1867 is in individual numeral punches, the 7 double-struck. It is over two separate impressions of the U. S. Internal Revenue bullion tax stamp, first struck far to the r. overlapping the edge. 1,098.70 Grains. Fine to Very Fine. Also with numerous minor nicks and abrasions; with a test file mark on the upper left rev. edge, a diagonal scratch-like flaw just below it extending up to the larger numeral 3. Unique, probably intended to be a $40.00 piece, but the weight fell short. Purchased by Paul Franklin in 1962. Ex John J. Ford, Jr., 1963-64; R. F. Batchelder. A highly interesting and important Wiegand gold ingot, worthy of a good price.

The significance of the large “3” upon the reverse of this piece is presently unknown. The U. S. Internal Revenue stamp was applied by the assayer, in accordance with the law of 6/30/64, to indicate that the bullion tax was paid. In addition to the two $20 Wiegand ingots and the $39.28 one here described, Wiegand gold assay ingots with values of $23.68, $27.40, $36.42, and $78.42, have either been seen or reported. Others most probably exist.

The $27.40 Wiegand gold assay ingot is dated 1866 and is presently in the H. H. Clifford collection, now on display at the second San Francisco Mint Museum. Wiegand was a prolific worker, as at least a dozen mixed-metal (gold and silver combined) ingots bearing his stamp have been recorded, in addition to the gold ones known from his earlier period.

[11/1974] https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctionlots?AucCoId=3&AuctionId=516500

1.48 oz C. Wiegand, Gold Hill, Nevada, 1866. $27.40 gold ingot.

Rectangular gold ingot with the following inscription stamped on the front: OZS 1.48 / GOLD .889 / FINE / SILV. .105 / C. WIEGAND / ASSAYER / GOLD. $27.21 / SILV. $.19 / VAL. $27.40.

The back consists of the standard Internal Revenue stamp, twice impressed, with the second impression overlapping the first, and the date 1866 hand-stamped below. The edges are plain.

John J. Ford, Jr. advised the present writer that he knows of Wiegand ingots of the values of $16.80, $20.00 (two examples are known of this value), $23.68, $27.40, $36.42, $38.86 [(*) this is not correct as its the gold content not final value and represents the 39.28 bar], $39.28, and $78.42, the $27.40 being the piece offered here. Others may exist. John Ford further relates that at least a dozen electrum (gold and silver mixture) bars are known from the 1865-80 period. The following information was furnished by John J. Ford, Jr. and was also used in Stacks 1974 sale of the Gibson Collection (which offered the $20 and $39.28 ingots). The NASCA sale, 1980 offered the $16.80 ingot as Lot 2445.

The San Francisco Mint payroll for the third quarter of 1855 indicates that Conrad Wiegand occupied the post of assayer from May 9th of that year, apparently succeeding Agostin Haraszthy (of whom we have earlier written in the present catalogue) to the position. In 1856 he gave a talk about the Vigilance Committee, a private group formed to protect citizens of San Francisco from criminal activities which seemingly were overlooked by local police. The lecture was described as “rambling and incoherent” by a listener. Mark Twain, in Roughing It, published in 1872, described Wiegand: “When I met Conrad, he was ‘Superintendent of the Gold Hill Assay Office’ — and he was not only its Superintendent, but its entire force. And he was a street preacher, too, with a mongrel religion of his own invention, whereby he expected to regenerate the universe. This was years ago . . . If ever there was a gentle spirit that thought itself unfired gunpowder and latent ruin, it is Conrad Wiegand. If ever there was an oyster that fancied itself a whale; or a jack o’lantern, confined to a swamp, that fancied itself a planet with a billion-mile orbit; or a summer zephyr that deemed itself a hurricane, it is Conrad Wiegand.”

Wiegand was the publisher of a small newspaper, the People’s Tribune, in which he attacked various prominent people from time to time.

For a short period in the mid 1860s Wiegand was superintendent of assaying at the Gould & Curry Mill in Virginia City. A listing for Edwards & Wiegand, trading as the “Gold Hill Assay Office,” appears in the Pacific Coast Business Directory, 1867 issue. The listing is changed to Wiegand & Co. in the 1871-1873 edition. A directory published by another firm places him in Virginia City in 1874. In an 1877 directory the Virginia Assay Office & Chemical Laboratory, operated by C. Wiegand & Co., at 38 North C Street, Virginia City, is listed, as is the Silver Note Bank (sic) Company at the same address. By 1880 he was also known as the agent and superintendent of the Nevada Amalgam Refining Company and as a partner in Wiegand, Perkins & Company, bullion brokers and purchasing agents, as well as a partner in Wiegand, Taylor & Company, dealers in crucibles, assaying goods, glassware, chemical reagents, printed matter for assayers, mills and mines, etc. Obviously, Wiegand had his fingers in many pies!

The several gold ingots known to exist and the mixed metal ingots, many of which were acquired from varying sources, indicate that his production must have been extensive. ($9000-11,500)

Obtained from Bert Lieberman, Mgr. of Field’s Department Store Coin Dept. (Capitol Com Co.) by Paul Franklin, 1 962; to John J. Ford, ]r. ; to Henry H. Clifford.

[03/1982] https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctionlots?AucCoId=510373&AuctionId=520553

4.26 oz Conrad Wiegand, $78.42 gold ingot (c1865)

This ingot as now at the Smithsonian.

Obverse Text: OZS. 4.26 / GOLD. 885 / SILV. 112 / C. WIEGAND / ASSAYER / GOLD. $77.81 / SILV. $0.61 / VAL. $78.42

See: https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/nmah_1102615

4.80 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Gold & silver assay ingot no. 2077

While this isn’t technically a predominately gold ingot, its higher gold content and overall complexion causes us to put it in the gold-hybrid category.

Overall appearance of Extremely Fine. Very pale yellow gold in color. Polished surfaces, squared edges, sharp corners mark this as probably made as a presentation bar. Hairlined from many cleanings since, some stray signs of careless handling. Observe the typical Wiegand bar’s layout: bar number at top, underneath in this sequence the weight of the bar, the individual gold and silver finenesses, the ethnic, the individual gold and silver values, and the total value of the bar.

Face: No2077. / Ozs. 4.80 / GOLD 265 FINE [vertically at right between this and next] SILV. 644 / C.WIEGAND. / ASSAYER / GOLD $26.29 / SILV. $3.99 / VAL. $30.28.
Back: blank.
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: blank.
Dimensions: 56.6 x 25.4 x 8.9 mm.
Current weight: 144.6 gms

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Noted as in the Kagin Reference Collection on July 31, 1956; subsequently purchased by Mr. Ford.

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6S9/conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-gold-silver-assay-ingot-no-2077 ($25,300)

ND (ca. 1868-73). C. Wiegand, Assayer (Gold Hill, Nevada), Face Value: $16.80

Gold & silver conversion bar, #485. Irregular, 46 x 21 x 24mm., 616.20 grains. No fineness of either silver or gold given, nor any weight; value $16.80. (Photo) ($1, 500-Up) A rough-cast ingot, stamped on obverse “485/C. Wiegand/ Assayer/$16.80.”

Working from known values of $1.29/oz. for silver and $20.67/oz. for gold, we can determine the Fineness at .6084 for the gold and .3916 for the silver, with respective values in this bar of $16.15 and $0.65. This level of fineness accords well with the natural higher ratio of gold than silver in ore mined around Gold Hill, on the southern tip of the Comstock Lode; this also makes it probable that the piece is a melt of unrefined ore, perhaps one of Wiegand’s earliest assays in the area. Originally from Waldo Newcomer Coll (1920’s).

[04/1980] https://archive.org/details/allanleescottcol1980numi/page/142/ (NASCA, Lot 2445)

Anomalous Ingots

3.18 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Silver & gold assay ingot

Overall appearance of Very Fine. Very pale silver with a hint of the faintest yellow from the apparent gold content. Squared edges, fairly sharp corners. The only Wiegand, or any other assayer’s ingot, known with the stamp of the BANK EXCHANGE on it. It is hard to know what to make of this piece, it has much of the look of a presentation bar so perhaps the bank stamp is the sentiment. It has none of the look of a banking bar, as it is small, has no ingot number, and shows no corner clips. An anomalous bar, the only one seen like it the cataloguer can remember with a prepared banker’s mark.

Face: Ozs. 3.18 / GOLD 311 FINE [horizontally at right between this and next] SILV. 586 / C.WIEGAND. / ASSAYER / GOLD. $20.44 / SILV. $2.38 / VAL. $22.82.
Back: [lengthwise within an oval prepared punch] BANK / EXCHANGE / GOLD HILL / NEV., VAL.$22.82 in logotype and individual numeral punches below.
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: blank.
Dimensions: 43.4 x 25.7 x 7.5 mm.
Current weight: 99.05 gms.

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Purchased from Paul Franklin on May 25, 1964.

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6SL/conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-silver-gold-assay-ingot ($29,900)

1.5 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Gold & silver assay ingot. M & C 31

Overall appearance of Fine to Very Fine. Light yellow gold in color due to the fineness of the native gold content. This bar looks like it may have been made directly from unrefined ore. The significance of M & C is unknown. What 31 may have meant is also unknown. A bar with an anomalous layout but one that clearly was intended to emphasize the gold over the silver content of this nicely yellow bar.

Face: M & C 31 / Ozs. 1.5 / FINE [vertically at right between this and next] GOLD. 869 / C.WIEGAND / ASSAYER / SILV. 125 / FINE / GOLD. VAL.. / $26.95.
Back: blank.
Top side: blank.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: blank.
Right side: blank.
Dimensions: 41.8 x 23.1 x 2.8 mm.
Current weight: 46.56 gms.

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Provenance unrecorded.

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6SR/conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-gold-silver-assay-ingot-m-c-31 ($29,000)

11.20 oz Conrad Wiegand, Assayer. Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Silver & gold assay ingot no. 1586

Overall appearance of Very Fine. Rather dark silver gray in color. Not terribly well formed and certainly not a presentation piece judging from its looks. Some marks all sides. Face and sides smoothed to take the inscriptions but back left as made with a deep fissure and a smaller one below it. Edges and corners not squared off. A most anomalous bar bearing inscriptions not seen on any other bar from any assayer. The only bar known to the cataloguer with not only the assayer’s name in full, but also with an unusually detailed location of his office. This bar is the Wiegand orphan as it shares no punch links with any other in this collection.

Face: Ozs. 11.20 / Gold 25 Fine / Sil.969Fine / OIR stamp / Gold$ 5.79 / Sil.$14.03 / Val.$19.82.
Back: blank.
Top side: Bar No:1586 [within single line border] / Value Endorsed.
Bottom side: blank.
Left side: BY / Conrad Wiegand / ASSAYER [within single line border].
Right side: GOLD HILL / ASSAY OFFIOE[sic] / Storey County Nevada [all within single line border].
Dimensions: 68.3 x 35.5 x 13.9 mm.
Stated weight: 11.2 ozs.

From the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection
Provenance: Purchased by Paul Franklin from Bert Lieberman, manager of the Marshall Field (Chicago) coin department December 13 to 15, 1961; subsequently purchased from Franklin.

[10/2007] https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AV6SX/conrad-wiegand-assayer-gold-hill-virginia-city-nevada-silver-gold-assay-ingot-no-1586 ($39,100)