~ OLD WEST HISTORY STORE ~
⛏️ Authentic Early Western Mining Stock Certificates
~ Own a Piece of the Old West ~
*** New items posted on a regular basis
⛏ Click Images to Enlarge ⛏
USA
I am a dealer and collector of early western mining stocks & bonds. The hobby of collecting stock certificates is known as "scripophily". My specialty is mining-related documents but I do offer stocks from other industries as well.
I invite you to browse my online catalog by clicking the links above. I think you will find my prices to be quite reasonable, and in most cases, I can offer a nice discount if you purchase more than one certificate at a time. Imagine owning an actual gold mining certificate issued during the wild days of Deadwood, when the region was still called Dakota Territory, or a stock from the boom days of Cripple Creek, Colorado; also known as the "Worlds Greatest Gold Camp". Many of these certificates contain beautiful vignettes that are like a little window to the past. Whether you enjoy Old West history or are just looking for a unique gift for someone special, I guarantee you will be satisfied with your purchase. Old stock certificates always look nice framed in the home or office. What a great conversation piece!
Feel free to ask questions........
Greetings Fellow Western History Buffs!
Actual historical photo of the entrance to the Lucania Tunnel in what I believe was known as the Russell Gulch Mining District. (above) Photo taken around the time this stock certificate was issued. Part of their operation was built on a huge tailings pile. (Click to enlarge) Notice the 4 miners on the tailings pile and another worker can be seen in the back of the horse-drawn wagon, looking into the building at lower-left. The image shows amazing detail and is like a little window to the past.
Portrait of JUDGE ERNEST A. COLBURN :
E. A. Colburn was elected county Judge in Colorado Springs in 1875 and served until 1885. The Judge left the courts to stake his claim as a mine owner in the Cripple Creek Mining District. In 1891 he made his fortune, becoming one of Colorado's first millionaires. One of the best-known men in the Colorado metal mining industry and was a perennial president of the Colorado Mining Association.
⛏️ 1909 THE LUCANIA TUNNEL AND MINES COMPANY - Incorporated (in 1908) Under the Laws of the State of Colorado - MINES IN CLEAR CREEK AND GILPIN COUNTIES, COLORADO (printed beneath title) - Rare stock certificate issued to Frederick Burgess for 250 shares. Hand-signed by E. A. Colburn as company president and E. L. Gorich, assistant secretary. Mr. Gorich was also a well-known Colorado mining man in his own right. Vignette shows the RMS Lucania, a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company. The ship was built in Scotland and launched on February 2nd, 1893. It served as a major passenger liner for 14 years. The last voyage was on July 7th, 1909 - the same year this certificate was issued.
Main Office: Colburn Building, Denver, CO
Mine Office: Idaho Springs, CO
The Lucania Railway Tunnel was driven into Bellevue Mountain at the mouth of Fall River (A tributary of Clear Creek) to intersect valuable ore veins. In 1909, the tunnel was 4,209 feet long and traveled in the direction of Central City. The various ore veins contained auriferous and argentiferous lead & copper sulphides, as well as gold and silver deposits. Price for just the stock certificate - $450
GOLD, SILVER AND MISC. ITEMS:
HOMESTAKE MINING COMPANY SILVER BULLION BARS - Loaf style ingots produced in the Black Hills at Lead, South Dakota. The Homestake has long-since closed and no more of these are being made. In my experience there are more collectors of these than there are bars to go around. These ingots were hand poured and stamped.
Most notable is the bar poured in 1985 - 48.84 Ounces. This is the most attractive example I have owned. The numbers are large and were very carefully stamped into the bar. Also notice the cooling rings.
The largest bars on the right are about 6 & 1/4 pounds each! *** Not currently for sale
SITKA, ALASKA - SHELDON JACKSON MUSEUM
One Ounce Pure Silver Rounds.
This is the oldest museum in Alaska, founded in 1888.
I have just these (4) examples to offer. The front side is the same on all of them. Three have an unusual face on the reverse. I think it represents a symbol that would be found on a totem pole. One has a Native American star-like pattern on the reverse.
Reeded edge like a coin.
*** These are quite scarce.
Excellent condition.
Price - $89.00 / each
⛏ Almost 6 gram Australian Gold Nugget. (5.96)
Nuggets from Australia tend to have a higher purity than those found on the U.S.
Lots of character.
Certified to be an authentic natural nugget by Orocal, the #1 natural gold jewelry company in the world.
In my opinion, gold is always a good investment.
Price - $595
1986 MINOT, WARD COUNTY, NORTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL COIN - One Oz. Silver. Each one was numbered. Map of the region on reverse. I have 2 of these to offer. Price / each - $65.00
1892 "Souvenir made of Silver mined from the Mollie Gibson Mine, Aspen, Colorado" This pure silver polished plaque (bar) weighs 4.05 ounces. The fancy text etched into it is actually a deep blue color (looks black in the photo). It was found still inside the original leather, felt pouch. Even more interesting is that there is a Tiffany & Co. of NY stamp on the reverse. This is a high-end New York jeweler. I am told this was a promotional item to get investors for further development of western mines. SOLD
ANTIQUE ONE TROY OUNCE GOLD NUGGET RING - Here is something you don't see everyday. It looks even better in person. The total weight is 1.15 oz. so the nugget itself is around an ounce. It is almost too big to wear! Finger size is 7 but I'm sure it could be re-sized by a jeweler. I am told it is a California nugget. If you enlarge (click on) the photo you can see the reddish-brown matrix in the crevices - this is typical of nuggets from the Mother Lode region of California. This nuggets tests at 21K - 22K and the band is 14K. The band appears to be hand-formed and was not cast like modern rings. The design on the side was hand-tooled as well. The jeweler could not give me an exact age but said it was quite old. Natural nuggets this size are of course rare so even if you do not intend to wear it, it is a spectacular collector specimen. Possibly worn by a wealthy mine owner???
GOLD HOMESTAKE MINING COMPANY SAFETY AWARD - This was awarded to Albert Williams for 30 years without a lost time injury. I have seen silver examples over the years but this is the first gold one. With a bit of research, I found that this gentleman started working at the Homestake around 1959. Stamp on the (reverse) right reads: Williams Jewelry & Mfg. Co. Chicago. Left stamp reads: 1/20 - 10K (Gold). Seldom-seen Lead, South Dakota mining history! SOLD
1987 THE GOLD BAR MINE - One Ounce Silver Round. Reeded edge. The silver used to make these rounds was actually mined from the Gold Bar. The front side shows a mine shaft built with timbers and the reverse shows a bullfrog with the text: GOLD BAR, BULLFROG DISTRICT, NYE CO., NEVADA - BEATTY, GOLD CENTER, TRANSVAAL, GREENWATER, LILAC, JOHNNIE. Very scarce issue! Price - $225
Genuine Alaskan Gold / Quartz Specimen. I just love the contrast of natural gold and the white quartz matrix. Weight: 4.76 grams. The two images show both sides of the specimen. (enlarged)
MERRILL LYNCH 1 Troy oz. Hand Poured Gold Bar - 999.9 Fine - Scarce and historic collectors ingot. These were sold to investors shortly after the United States gold restrictions were lifted on January 1st, 1975. The famous Bull logo is stamped at the top. Small but thick bar.... shaped like a small "loaf" ingot.
1993 HOMESTAKE GOLD MINE - One Troy Ounce .999 Fine Silver Round - Reeded edge like a coin. Lead, South Dakota. "People Working Together" on reverse. Perfect condition. Still sealed inside original plastic sleeve. Homestake items are hot right now and values keep rising. Price - $185
1989 HOMESTAKE GOLD MINE - One Troy Ounce .999 Fine Silver Round - Reeded edge like a coin. Lead, South Dakota. "Maintenance" on reverse. Perfect condition. Minor toning. Still sealed inside original plastic sleeve. Homestake items are hot right now and values keep rising. Price - $185
☄️ ALETAI METEORITE
Weight: 233 Grams
Discovered in China in 1898.
Iron / Nickel Class.
Relatively large, original dark fusion crust on one side, caused from screaming through the atmosphere at speeds measured in miles per second. The surface becomes briefly molten from air friction.
This fragment was cut and acid-etched to show the unique Widmanstätten Pattern, which occurs from extremely slow cooling from a molten state in the vacuum of space when the solar system first formed.
This meteorite is one of only two with anomalous gold concentration making it a spectacular rarity.
Aletai also contains a relatively large amount of Iridium — the second densest element known.
4.56 billion years old.
Size: About 2 & 1/4 inches long at its widest point and a bit over ½ inch thick.
I'm asking $2 per gram - $466
1993 PEGASUS GOLD INC. One Troy Ounce .999 Fine Silver Round - Reeded edge like a coin. Reverse shows a drilling rig with the text "EXPLORATION". These are quite popular with collectors and getting harder to find. Price - $89.00
1989 PEGASUS GOLD CORPORATION - One Silver Pegasus. Proof Limited Edition Round. One troy ounce .999 fine silver. Reeded edge like a coin. "BEAL MOUNTAIN MINE" on reverse. Price - $89.00
ONE OUNCE NEVADA SILVER ROUND WITH ATTACHED GOLD NUGGET - Front side reads: "The Gold Country" and shows a prospector panning for gold in the wilderness. Most notable is the REAL gold nugget affixed inside the gold pan. Reverse shows The Great Seal of the State of Nevada. Each round has a unique serial number stamped into the rim.
.999 Fine.
Price - $125/each. (2) available.
⛏ ALASKA MINT ASSAY BAR - 5.01 Troy Ounces .999 Fine Silver.
These are made in Anchorage, Alaska. They are not produced on a large scale so they are a bit more scarce. Collector bar. Price - $285
1900 - 1910 (est.) G. R. LEWIS & CO. Druggists, Cripple Creek, Colorado Pharmacy Bottle. 12 -sided bottle variant. No cracks. There is an open-air bubble on the back. Bottom reads: WTCO B USA. It is about 5 & 1/8 inches tall by 2 & 1/8 inches wide. According to my research, G. R. Lewis opened a pharmacy at Cripple Creek in 1900. Genuine piece of history from this famous gold mining town! Price - $75.00
1990 HOMESTAKE MINING COMPANY COMMEMORATIVE GOLD PIECE - Celebrating 36 Million Ounces of Gold - Text inside reads: The Homestake Gold Mine at Lead, South Dakota is one of the truly great gold deposits in all the world. Since April 9th, 1876, when Moses and Fred Manuel discovered the Homestake ledge or lead (pronounced "leed"), the mine has operated almost continuously. And during the South Dakota Centennial in 1989, Homestake was named "Business of the Century".
Today, the mine employs almost 1,300 people. From the underground and surface operations the Homestake Gold Mine produces 2.5 million tons of ore annually, which is processed to yield about 400,000 ounces of gold.
In 1990, we are proud to announce that the Homestake Gold Mine has produced its 36 millionth ounce of gold. This gold piece was taken from a 400 ounce bar poured as the mine passed this significant milestone. It is a lasting tribute to the thousands of men and women whose dedicated service made Homestake Mining Company what it is today.
⛏ Since the Homestake Mine closed in 2001, these commemorative gold pieces have become increasing difficult to find. This is currently the only example I have to offer. The weight is 1/10th ounce. The front cover shows early Black Hills miners. Two velcro closures securely hold the gold piece inside. When opened, the gold piece can be removed to view both sides. This item has not yet been priced, but feel free to inquire...
⛏️ Rare high-grade gold ore specimen from the Homestake Mine at Lead, South Dakota USA. All 3 images are the same sample, showing different angles. Total weight - 28 grams. (Shown larger than actual size). The Homestake Mining Company would typically process tons of ore to get just one ounce of gold. This is probably the richest specimen I have seen! Price - $695
California Grizzly Bear Gold Bullion Rounds (and a few nuggets)