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Sale 59
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Lot 1957
Kellogg & Richter Assay Receipt. Assay receipts for Kellogg & Richter are among the most desirable and rarest of all the gold rush bullion receipts. It is thought that this receipt is a low R8 with two to three pieces known. Kellogg & Richter were in business from 1853 to 1854 with an assay office in San Francisco. They are perhaps best known for their private California gold coinage. One can easily imagine the Kellogg $20 gold pieces of 1854 may have come from gold reported on these assay receipts.
John G. Kellogg arrived in San Francisco during the Fall of 1849. Initally Kellogg was employed by the assay firm of Moffit & Co. By December of 1853 Kellogg formed a partnership with G.F. Richter. Richter had previously worked as an assayer for United States Assay Office in San Francisco. Less than two months later their assay firm was stricking privately coined $20 gold pieces.
Periods of shortages of circulating coinage occurred frequently in California--especially between the years 1849-1857. Many factors were at least partially responsible for the shortages, including the collective and sudden new wealth of miners, merchants, and gold rush entrepreneurs. Supply and demand was grossly out of sync and the everyday prices for goods ans services in the west quickly became excessive if not obscene. To facilitate commerce, gold in all its forms was expediently used as a medium of exchange.
No. 2044 Memoranda of Gold Bullion deposited with Kellogg & Richter by James Wilson. Thin light blue paper with black ink measuring 8x6." Printed by La Count & Strong. Lithographer is Britton & Rey. Weight before melting given in pennyweights as 200 dwt. Loss in Melting 23 dwt. Nett 177 dwt, Fineness .932, Commision $5, Net proceeds $165.50. Usual "pocket" folds with light foxing and spots, however right edge is soiled or scuffed. This piece is unbelievably rare with perhaps as few as two to three known. R8.
Estimated Value $4,000 - 5,000.
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