Star Mining Company gold ingot. Mint State. A much-dented but sparkling yellow bar stamped with a 5-pointed incuse star and beneath it "MINING Co." Also the following pertinent data: "1880, OZS 5.43, FINE 995, CAL., No 521." Virtually as made, presumably near Rose Creek, Sonora County, California (the firm operated there from 1870 until 1895). As is typical of Cal ingots, only the topside is stamped, with a mixture of incuse and impressed logos. A real hunk of history, a wonderful relic of the days of yore when ore tumbled from those golden hills.
Purchased from the Henry Clifford Collection, March 1982, Lot 111 (at $2800). Earlier from John J. Ford (1971) and from a 1969 Glendining auction in London.
