SSCA Part 1A Catalog

Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC S.S. Central America Auction Part 1 Auction Date Saturday | December 3, 2022 Starting Time: 10am Pacific time Auction Location Reno Convention Center 4590 S. Virginia St. Reno, NV 89502 Preview Friday, December 2nd from 10am-6pm Preview will also be held at the Reno Convention Center. Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served Lot Pickup Sunday, December 4th from 8am-12pm Pick up available at the Reno Convention Center. Bid Live, Online, by Mail, Fax, or Phone www.FHWAC.com or call us at 775-851-1859

Terms & Conditions S.S. Central America This is a Live Auction conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC (HWAC). 1. TERMS and CONDITIONS ACCEPTANCE: THE PLACING we may be unable to accommodate your request to bid by telephone. the office for a list or to arrange for representation on the floor during OF A BID SHALL CONSTITUTE THE BIDDER’S ACCEPTANCE OF We discourage phone bidding on lots less than $500 or on multiple the live auction. HWAC is not responsible for any acts or omissions THESE TERMS OF SALE. lots that do not accumulate to $500, as this ties up valuable staff time by agents acting on behalf of bidders at our auctions. during the auction. 2. BUYER’S PREMIUM: There will be a 20% Buyer’s Premium add- 11. BE ADVISED: Auction participation through the live Internet bid- ed to the sale price (hammer) of all lots sold in this auction, including 7. LIVE AUCTION ABSENTEE BIDDING: Absentee Bids for the ding site is not 100% foolproof. The technology for this process is NUMISMATICS. live auction sent to HWAC by surface mail, FAX, e-mail, or delivered always changing, and the operation of it and the corresponding Inter- in person MUST be received by 5 p.m. Pacific Time the day before the net connectivity issues are far beyond our control. Some folks have 3. SALES TAX: Sales tax may be applied to your purchases accord- auction. Bids accepted after the cutoff time will be represented live attempted to use the live Internet bidding process as their primary ing to individual states’ current tax laws regarding Internet sales. In only if an agent is available and will not be considered absentee or method of bidding and have been quite successful. Others have failed some cases, the sales tax is applied and collected by the Internet auc- given priority as such. It is the bidder’s responsibility to submit all lot completely. Depending upon your computer, server, host, and other tion platform and remitted by them to the appropriate tax jurisdiction. numbers and bid amounts accurately. Absentee Bids MUST be equal factors, Internet signals may be delayed, such that bids may not be Please check your state’s tax regulations. HWAC will charge sales tax to at least 50% of the low estimate if an estimate is provided. Bids on received in time. HWAC cannot be held responsible for these delays, for those states that we know have instituted Internet sales tax and is “No Lots” or “Withdrawn” Lots will not be executed. Bids made in or for the lack of placed bids in a timely manner, or any other factors not collected by the Internet platform. All bonafide resale dealers with amounts that do not conform to the Bid Increment Table under Sec- leading to unaccepted bids that are far beyond our control. Bidders a current valid resale license must submit their license in advance tion 13 will be automatically rounded up or down by the computer or should always have a backup plan for lots they highly desire. Live par- to HWAC or Live Auctioneers. Sales tax will be charged unless that rounded to the nearest proper bid increment at the discretion of the ticipation is best, followed by phone participation. We will not reopen certificate is current. Nevada Sales Tax will be charged if you pick Auctioneer. Absentee Bids are entered into a computer that will bid lots for missed bids. In all cases, it is the Auctioneer who determines items up at the auction. live on your behalf at the auction. Absentee Bids will compete live the winning bid. against other Absentee Bids, live Internet bidders, floor bidders, and 4. SHIPPING & HANDLING: The customer is responsible for phone bidders. 12. RESERVES: Most of the lots in this auction are unreserved. Pre- all shipping and packaging charges. We offer in-house shipping cious metals may be reserved at, near, or slightly below spot, at the service as a convenience to our buyers. Items are not shipped until 8. INTERNET BIDDING, REGISTRATION: Internet bidding on Auctioneer’s discretion. the auction invoice, including buyer’s premium and applicable tax- multiple online auction platforms is offered as a convenience for es, and shipping charges are completely paid. Shipping costs will be those who cannot attend the live sale. Both Absentee and Live Inter- 13. BIDDING INCREMENTS: All bids must be submitted in whole calculated and billed separately after your items have been paid for. net bidding are available through our live auction networks. Please U.S. dollar amounts and only in the appropriate increments as out- Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers: FedEx, note that there may be delays or interruptions in Internet connectivity lined in this Section. If you choose to submit bids in an increment not UPS, USPS, or DHL. Customers are always welcome to arrange for that are beyond our control. Attending the live auction or arranging listed below, your bid will be rounded to the nearest increment, and their own shipping. On-site pick up may be available Sunday, Decem- for an agent is the most reliable way to secure your bids. If there is you will be expected to pay the amount to which the bid was rounded ber 4, 2022, or from our Reno office, starting December 6, 2022, once a tie between a live bid and an absentee bid, priority will be given should your bid be the winning bid. If you have any questions about you have received and paid your post-auction invoice. Please call 24 to the absentee bidder. If you wish to bid LIVE via the Internet, you an appropriate bid amount, please call us. hours in advance to schedule your pickup date and time. We encour- MUST pre-register on your platform of choice. A live feed is generally age you to pick up your items in person because of the fragile nature accessible during the auction from one or more of the Internet auc- From To Increment of the items involved. tion platforms. Online bidding remains open through the live auction, $10 $95 $5 and online Absentee Bids may be placed anytime. Please be aware $100 $190 $10 5. LIVE (FLOOR) BIDDING: Please arrive early to check in and that some auction platforms charge a premium for their services, for $200 $475 $25 receive your bidding paddle. Live bidding for lots with more than one which we are not responsible. iCollector does not charge an extra fee $500 $1,450 $50 bid will open at the current high absentee bid, or 50% of the low esti- to buyers. $1,500 $3,400 mate, or an amount set the Auctioneer’s discretion. Please be sure to $3,500 $9,750 $100 bid on the correct lots during the live auction. Our auction progresses 9. NEW BIDDERS: Bidders unknown to us, who anticipate an $10,000 $29,500 $250 at a rate between 50 and 150 lots per hour. An item is not sold until expenditure in excess of $20,000, must provide commercial referenc- $30,000 $49,000 $500 the next lot is announced. (We are not responsible for Internet bids es or a deposit of 25% of the amount to be bid in order for the auction $50,000 and up $1,000 that arrive late.) The Auctioneer will identify the successful bidder by staff to execute bids. Deposits will be credited towards lots won and $2,000 number and announce the winning bid amount. If you are not sure any balance will be refunded within 10 business days after the auction whether you won the lot or not, it is your responsibility to ask for has concluded. New bidders will be given a spending limit at their ini- 14. AUTOMATIC INCREMENTAL BIDDING: Absentee Bids clarification immediately prior to the start of the next auction lot. Auc- tial request to participate. To increase this limit, you may be required automatically increase above the highest competing bid by the tioneer reserves the right to reopen the lot in the case of an immediate to provide a letter of authorization from your bank in addition to pro- increments posted in Section 13 up to the maximum bid requested dispute at the actual time of the sale. In all cases, it is the Auctioneer viding references. Please contact our office at any time if you have who determines the winning bid. questions regarding spending limits or references required to bid. 6. TELEPHONE BIDDING: Telephone bidding MUST be sched- 10. AGENT BIDDING: There are numerous professional agents uled prior to the current auction. If you do not schedule in advance, available to assist you should you require this service. Please contact Page 2

The Ship of Gold Terms & Conditions This is a Live Auction conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC (HWAC). by the absentee bidder. If the highest competing bid is the same as Cash received in amounts greater than $10,000 is subject to the filing items are available online for inspection. HWAC is not responsible for the Absentee bidder’s maximum bid, the increment cannot be applied, requirements of the FinCEN Anti-Money Laundering Regulations as condition discrepancies; it is the bidder’s responsibility to determine and the competing bid will prevail. Often there can be three or more set forth by the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020. condition prior to bidding. All sales are “where is as is.” bidders with the exact same bid amount. The Auctioneer will call for a tie-breaking bid, and if one does not come, the Auctioneer will award 21. AUTOMATIC CREDIT CARD BILLING: Internet bidders 24. RETURN POLICY: All items are guaranteed to be authentic the lot randomly. All winning Absentee Bids will be reduced, if neces- are required to provide credit card information in order to bid in the unless otherwise noted. If authenticity is challenged, please call our sary, to the next bidding increment up from the last competing bid, auction. PLEASE NOTE, this implies the bidder’s approval and autho- office for assistance. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. You may only return as long as the minimum bid requirement has been met. For example, rization to use that credit card for payment for lots purchased by the any piece that was significantly inaccurately described by calling if an Absentee bidder submits a maximum bid of $1000 and the next bidder during the auction. Some Internet platforms will charge that our office within 10 days of receipt of item(s) and notifying us of the highest competing bid is $250, then the Absentee bidder will win the credit card automatically or allows HWAC to charge your credit card error and reason for return. We do not refund postage or insurance. lot for $275, provided that no other competing bids are received while for the invoiced amount. If payment, or payment arrangements, are Please call us if you require a more specific condition report. Any that lot is open for bidding. not received within the stated 15-day period, YOUR CREDIT CARD items that are returned must be returned in the same exact, unaltered MAY BE CHARGED. In all cases, we attempt to contact our customers, condition in which they were shipped. When we receive your bids, we 15. BID INFORMATION: Collectors often ask in advance the cur- who have not made arrangements for payment prior to charging their will assume you have read the item description in the catalog, viewed rent bid amount of a particular lot. We will give out the current com- credit card. the available image(s) of the item, have contacted us regarding any petitive high absentee bid amount until we close the day before the questions you may have on any lot and/or have previewed the lot in live auction. You may also view Absentee Bids online at www.hola- 22. NON-PAYMENT: HWAC reserves the right to cancel any invoice person. birdamericana.com. While we work to update the Absentee Bids as not paid in full within 15 days. A cancelled invoice does not relieve the often as necessary, bids received close to the bidding deadline might bidder from their obligation to pay seller fees and buyer’s premiums 25. JURISDICTION: This sale is being held under the laws of the not be reflected online, and we disclaim any responsibility for any compensating HWAC for its services in conducting the auction. Inter- State of Nevada. bids made in reliance upon inaccuracies on our website, which may est shall run on all outstanding balances at the highest rate permitted be beyond our control. We do not own any of the live Internet bidding by law. HWAC shall have a lien against the merchandise purchased 26. BIDDER RESPONSIBILITY: HWAC shall not be held respon- platforms, and thus many aspects of the Internet technology are out by the bidder, and any other of bidder’s property then held by HWAC sible for any problem due to the bidder’s failure to follow the rules, of our control. or its affiliates, to secure payment of the invoice, and with respect terms, and conditions of this sale, or any failure to bid due to the loss thereto HWAC shall have all the rights of a secured creditor under of the online auction process provided by any of the online auction 16. BID CANCELLATION: If you wish to cancel or change a bid the Nevada Commercial Code, including but not limited to the right networks, or any missed, changed, or cancelled bids due the bidder’s after you have submitted your bids to us due to an error, you MUST of sale. HWAC may sell the lot(s) securing the invoice to any under failure to follow the proper bidding procedure outlined herein. PHONE us to advise us of this. If you use Live Auctioneers or Invalu- bidders in the auction that the lot(s) appeared, or at subsequent pri- able, you must contact them directly, as we do not have access to vate or public sale, or relist the lot(s) in a future auction conducted 27. ACCEPTANCE: By placing a bid or otherwise participating in cancel bids. Bid cancellations through mail, email, or faxes are not by HWAC. A defaulting bidder agrees to pay for the reasonable costs the auction, Bidder accepts these Terms and Conditions, and specifi- advisable. Errors are easy to make. Please call us if you have any of resale (including a 10% seller’s commission, if consigned to an cally agrees to the dispute resolution provided herein. questions on this. auction conducted by HWAC). The defaulting bidder is liable to pay any difference between his or her total original invoice for the lot(s), 28. DAMAGES: HWAC shall not be responsible for consequential 17. FINANCIAL ANTIQUITIES: All stock certificates, checks, plus any applicable interest, and the net proceeds for the lot(s) if sold damages, incidental damages, compensatory damages, or any other warrants, and other financial documents sold herein are sold as at private sale or the subsequent hammer price of the lot(s) less the damages arising or claimed to be arising from the auction on any lot. antiquities, and have no financial, securities, or public trading value 10% seller’s commissions, if sold at an HWAC auction. If HWAC refers Bidder’s sole remedy for any proven act or omission shall be rescis- whatsoever. any invoice to an attorney for collection, the bidder agrees to pay sion of sale and refund of the amount paid by Bidder. attorney’s fees, court costs, and other collection costs incurred by 18. BID REJECTION – BAD FAITH: We reserve the right to reject HWAC. Any bidder who fails to follow the terms and conditions of the 29. DISPUTE RESOLUTION; WAIVER: Any claim, dispute, or any bid we feel is not made in good faith. auction or of payment will be reported to iCollector, Live Auctioneers, controversy in connection with, relating to, and/or arising out of the Invaluable, or other applicable bidding platform, and may be barred Auction, participation in the Auction, award of lots, damages of claims 19. INVOICING: Invoices for auction winnings including hammer from participating in future Holabird Western Americana Collections to lots, descriptions, condition reports, provenance, estimates, return price, buyer’s premium, and applicable taxes are mailed or emailed auctions. and warranty rights, any interpretation of these Terms and Condi- within two business days after the close of all portions of the sale. tions, any alleged verbal modification of these Terms and Conditions Payment is due in full to Holabird Western Americana Collections 23. LOT CONDITION: We strongly recommend that you attend the and/or any purported settlement shall be exclusively heard by, and the within 15 calendar days of receipt of invoice. Payments made by live preview to see lots in their entirety. Conditions are not always parties consent to exclusive in personal jurisdiction of, the Superior check or money order are to be sent to 3555 Airway Dr., #308, Reno, noted, and large lots may not be itemized due to catalog restraints. Court of Washoe County, Nevada. The parties expressly waive any NV 89511. Late fees may be added if payment arrangements are not For questions, detailed information, or additional images of any lot, right to trial by jury. Any claim must be brought within one (1) year made within those 15 days. please contact our office at 775-851-1859. Bidders are responsible for of the auction from which the claim arose, or the claim is waived. In understanding the condition of items. Conditions noted are subjec- every case, the prevailing party shall be entitled to an award of its 20. PAYMENT: We accept Cash, Visa, Master Card, American tive and may differ person to person. High resolution images of all attorney’s fees and costs. Express, Discover, Money Order/Cashier’s Check, Wire Transfer, Per- sonal Check, or PayPal. All returned checks are subject to a $25 fee. Page 3

Consigning with Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC Why should you consign with Holabird Western Americana Collections? We combine the elements of historically researched descriptions, professional photography, artfully designed catalogs, and a team of specialists to consis- tently produce record prices. Consign your items to the experts and let us help you realize the most for your collections. We’ve sold many fantastic collections over the years, and we’re always excited for more great material! Consign with us and enter into a lasting and beneficial partnership. What do you get when you consign with us? The Process: Holabird Live: Live internet auctions put your material in front of a larger Appraisal & Inspection: We begin the process with an informal inspection audience than ever before. Our internet presence has opened up the market of your item(s). We can do this in person or through photographs and de- to a whole new generation of bidding. Not only do we offer live online bid- scriptions, via email, fax, mail, or telephone. Once we have the opportunity ding at no additional charge, but we also offer phone bidding and have live to evaluate your items, we will then provide you with a professional opinion agents readily available to secure bids on all platforms. Never before has of value. bidding in one of our auctions been so easy. Historically Researched Descriptions: Our team of research writers craft Submit your photographs & descriptions to: colorfully written historical descriptions that tell the stories behind the Holabird’s Western Americana Collections items we sell. Through these accurately written descriptions we paint a 3555 Airway Drive, Suite# 308 Reno, NV 89511 picture for the collector and create a need and desire for your items. Professional Photography: Colorful, vibrant, high resolution photographs Email us at [email protected] tell a story all their own. Our expert photographer will give your items the Call us toll free 844-HWAC-RNO (4922-766) or send a fax to 775-851-1834. attention they need to make them look amazing both online and in print. Consignment: Once we’ve determined that your material is a good fit for Cataloguing: Full color, high quality, artfully designed catalogs put your col- us and one of our upcoming sales, we will discuss the perfect venue for lections on the coffee tables of advanced collectors. Our catalogs are more your items and spend some time with you to go over reserves, estimates, than a just a catalogue of goods for sale, they’ve become historic reference and sellers commission. Our commission rates are highly competitive and works that our clients have come to know and love. We also offer the same all inclusive. We have no photo or cataloging fees, no insurance fees, and no high-quality catalog format online, making our catalogs accessible to more other hidden charges or gimmicks. than 6000 bidders worldwide. Estimates & Value: We use decades of sound experience and judgment to Marketing: We market extensively to advanced collectors through online assign estimates. We market extensively through national advertising and advertising, national print advertising, trade shows, and direct proprietary participation in trade shows, and we find that most items sell for premium marketing among other publicity. We’re seasoned marketers so you can rest prices. There are, however, unpredictable times when items sell for less assured knowing your material will get the recognition it deserves. than expected. This is usually balanced by items selling for premiums. We Superior Customer Service: At Holabird’s Western Americana Collections, cannot predict market prices or conditions and, ultimately, our buyers set we pride ourselves in offering a high level of customer service that you can the prices. count on. Our commitment to you is what sets us apart from the rest. You Shipping & Transportation: There are many ways to get your material to want someone you can trust, and we are by your side every step of the way. us for processing. You can arrange to bring your material directly into our Reno office, we can arrange to pick up your collection, or you may ship your items to us. Our knowledgeable and friendly staff will help guide you through this simple process so you can see your hard-earned collections meet the right hands for the right prices. Contact our office for more information or for a consultation. Here at Holabird’s Western Americana Collections, we don’t only achieve re- cord-breaking sales prices–we create legends.

Table o Contents Bob and Fred’s Great Adventure������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������7 The California Gold Rush and San Francisco���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11 3D Technologies��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15 Seafloor Mystery and History�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 37 Neil Dobson Commentary��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 49 Ships Provisions (Lots 1000-1080) ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 54 Passenger Possessions (Lots 1081- 1249) ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������108 The Business of Gold (Lots 1250-1271)�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������230

A Note on Estimates The items in this catalog are all recovered from the S.S. Central America. They were not harvested for income, but rather as a cultural sample while recovering the valuable gold shipment. They are, therefore, very limited in number. Our second sale of the S.S. Central America artifacts in February will be the final sale of these items. These items are unique, and in many cases priceless museum-quality rarities not previously known until now. As such, we placed three stars * * * after the Opening Bid listing for items of a unique and historically important nature as follows: “Opening Bid * * * .” Those interested in these items are encouraged to call the office for a discussion and more information about these unique and one-of-a-kind artifacts. Items with a starting price are not necessarily an indication of value. It is simply a place to start the bidding. All items are to be considered as exceptionally fragile. Many have been professionally restored and curated to the best of ability by professionals. All items are sold “as is, where is,” with no returns. A very special thank you to the catalog team Layout and design: Rob Vugteveen, Barbara Wilson, Fred Holabird, Robert Evans Printer: Steve Heaney, Minuteman Press, Toledo, OH.

The Ship of Gold Bob & Fred’s Great Adventure Page 7

S.S. Central America Fred N. Holabird Owner a President, Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC Welcome to Bob and Fred’s Great Adventure! Then Wells, Fargo historian Dr. Bob Chan- containers holding over 7,000 gold coins and I met Bob Evans in 1998. By then, I had man- dler called and said he’d recommended me ingots, and to create a detailed inventory for aged two open-pit gold mines, was part of to a bunch of lawyers on a gold chase of the Federal Court. It’s amazing the bonds exploration teams responsible for another some sort. Everybody was chasing gold, and that can develop when kindred scientific few open pit gold mines, completed a num- most I didn’t want anything to do with. I spirits are asked to examine several thou- ber of world-class mine cleanups, … and was a production guy, and pouring gold and sand wonderful things in detail! A year or so that’s just the mining business. I was an getting it sold at market or above (futures) later, we collectively had the great honor of accomplished ultrarunner, lavishing the 110 was all I was interested in professionally. But being asked to “split” the treasure between miles pre week my friends and I would run these guys were different. the two parties, and that story would make in the Sierra Nevada. My second business Through the Federal Court in Virginia, I a movie. was all about mining history, which came began my journey on the S.S. Central Amer- Over the years, Bob and I were asked to naturally to me. Life was good. ica. I was asked to take an independent work on different aspects of the Treasure. I inventory and render opinions to the Court. continued my career in mining and western Afterwards, I was hired by the surviving history and historical artifacts, and he with insurance carriers. the S.S. Central America, becoming its princi- So, there we were in 1998. As their chief sci- pal spokesperson. entist and historian, Bob was on the side of A few years ago, the Receiver for the Court the discoverers, the salvors in legal parlance, asked for my intervention, which in turn and I was on the other side of the table for led to Dwight Manley’s purchase of the arti- the insurance companies. We immediately facts. And here we are, at it again; examin- discovered that we had much in common. ing, researching, and presenting wonderful First, we were and are fellow geologists, discoveries from the Central America ship- from different specialties, but sharing a fun- wreck, Bob and I re-discovering things we damental knowledge base and approach never knew existed (in my case) and Bob to research. Perhaps more importantly, we rediscovering an incredible database and share a common passion for discovery, and artifacts that led us to this catalog. ● for finding new truths about a subject. All told, we spent 22 days over the course of several trips that summer, visiting heavily guarded vault facilities to crack open sealed Page 8

The Ship of Gold Robert D. Evans Chief Scientist a Historian, S.S. Central America Project Bob Evans is best known for his work with mens of Type I double eagles passed through Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Regis and the S.S. Central America, a California Gold his laboratory, Bob took the opportunity to Kathie Lee, and The Today Show, as well as Rush era steamship that sank in 1857 carrying document and publish the many die variet- multiple programs on the History Channel tons of gold coins, bars, nuggets and dust. In ies he discovered. and The Discovery Channel. He has taught 1983 Bob was recruited to take charge of the When the return expedition was organized about shipwreck treasures at the Amer- historical and scientific research involved in in 2014, Bob resumed his role as chief sci- ican Numismatic Association’s Summer the search for the fabled treasure ship. The entist and historian. And so he has been the Seminars, and his educational programs at shipwreck site was located in 1986 using scientist on point, in the control room, for numerous numismatic and non-numismatic side-scanning sonar, and its identity was each and every recovery dive to the S.S. Cen- conventions have been warmly received and confirmed in 1988 when the first coins and tral America shipwreck since it was found in widely praised. bars were brought to the surface. The gold 1988. Bob currently resides with his wife Jane on a was recovered from a depth of more than a The treasure ultimately contained 577 gold small farm in the hills of eastern Ohio. ● mile, (2200 meters) from the Atlantic seabed ingots (bars) manufactured by gold-rush 150 nautical miles off the Carolina coast. California assayers. As a geologist, Bob was As the project’s chief scientist, Bob became fascinated by these bars, which are really the Curator of the Treasure, a role he has only one step removed from the original filled ever since, first for the discovery expe- native gold. Assayers took the raw gold dust dition, then for California Gold Marketing and nuggets from depositors, melted and Group as the treasure from the early expedi- poured the gold into ingot form, determined tions 1988 – 1991 was brought to an eagerly the purity, and stamped the ingots with the awaiting market. He developed techniques appropriate information, producing the ini- to safely remove the decades of mineral and tial monetary form for almost all gold mined rust deposits obscuring the surfaces of the in California during the gold rush era. coins and bars. The results were spectacular. Bob continues to research and publish about An important numismatic time-capsule was the S.S. Central America treasure and its rela- revealed, and the thousands of high-grade tionship to American numismatics, history, mint-state double eagles from the treasure and science. Bob has traveled widely as the promoted the wider acceptance of respon- curator of the treasure, and he has appeared sible coin conservation in the numismatic on many television programs, including The community. As thousands of pristine speci- Page 9



The Ship of Gold t California Gold Rush a San Francisco Page 11

S.S. Central America t California Gold Rush a San Francisco by On a clear and chilly morning in January of up, and noticed that it was unusually bright, Fred N. Holabird 1848, James Marshall was making the rounds shiny, and heavy. at Sutter’s sawmill, just off the American Four days later, Marshall took the nugget James Marshall, discoverer of gold, at Sutter’s Mill. and three ounces overall to Sutter where Coloma California, 1850. https://www.loc.gov/ River in Central California. It was an they boiled, hammered, and tried to break item/2007676072/. isolated lumber mill supplying prod- up the little rock and dissolve it in acid. They uct to a few people who had come to came to the conclusion it must be gold. A few Page 12 California long before anyone thought of Marshall’s men had also gathered some of much of the place. He had spent years the heavy shiny pebbles and sold them to involved in the early matters of Cali- Brannan. fornia and then in the Mexican War. News of the discovery traveled at a con- The mill was a solitary place of peace strainingly slow pace. After all, the only way for Marshall. He was at home with news got East was by clipper ship or horse- himself, free of the conflicts of the back. Either way, it took about six months for developing land called California. His the news to get eastward. boss, John Sutter, owned the sawmill As news spread in California, Mexican War and Sutter’s Fort, a trading center for veterans, fresh off the battlefields of southern food and goods further downstream. There was a workforce of ten on that California, came north. Hearing of the chilly January morning. discovery, Edward Buffam led his Inside Sutter’s Fort was a lit- troops northward, prospecting in tle store owned by Sam Brannan, the foothills along the way. They a pioneer who came to Califor- found a canyon rich in gold, nia with a printing press, with mined there for a few weeks, which he published Califor- and with the gold so plentiful, nia’s first newspaper, the wondered what it was like else- Californian. Little could any- where, only to return a month one know just how import- later to find an entire town had ant these three men would sprung up – Placerville. become virtually overnight when Marshall saw gleaming Samuel Brannan, Utah State Historical pebbles in the waterway under Society Classified Photo Collection, Identifier the mill, bent over, picked one 39222001341648 public domain

The Ship of Gold California was no-man’s land – it The Branch Mint at San Francisco wasn’t a state nor even a territory could only handle a small portion – it was merely a U.S. Possession of the newly mined gold. The rest where they developed their own went eastward to the U.S. Assay laws and lobbied to become part Office in New York and/or to the of the United States. Before you U.S. Mint at Philadelphia, as well could blink an eye, thousands of as to private banks. By 1857, gold would-be miners and merchants shipments continued to be huge arrived and scoured the moun- and vital to the nation’s economy. tains for gold from south of Sono- ra to the Trinity Alps in the north. It is in this setting of social and economic transformation that the Isolated and far from the center S.S. Sonora left San Francisco in of any organized commerce, Cal- the late summer of 1857, bound ifornians developed their own for Panama. There the passen- form of banking based entirely gers, their luggage, and the large upon gold. Assay offices sprung shipment of California gold up from town to town. Eastern would be transported across the banks set up satellite banks in San Isthmus by rail, then loaded onto Francisco. Some partnered with the S.S. Central America to contin- London and Paris banks to get ue on to New York City. Based access to the gold from the Cal- on surviving passenger accounts, ifornia gold fields. Soon produc- each passenger or family group tion was tremendous – so large in may have carried between $5,000 fact, it was unbelievable to some. View of San Francisco, Taken from a high point on the south side., ca. 1850. and $10,000 in gold dust, nuggets https://www.loc.gov/item/2003670158/. By 1850, California had produced or coin. 2 million ounces. This amount was quadru- pled within three years! By 1854 California California politicians went East to Congress The commercial shipment aboard the S.S. had changed the world economic balance to make a play for Territorial status, but Central America held over $1.2 million in forever. World gold production through all with huge amounts of gold coming into the gold coin and assay ingots, with a possible of human history was at 32 tons in 1847. By U.S. Mint system, California became a state equal or greater amount in the hands of the 1854 it was 193 tons, a full six times the entire directly in 1850. passengers, when tragedy struck in the form world’s production up to that point! The federal government soon tried to stabi- of the worst American storm ever recorded lize the gold trading business. Led by Cali- up to that time. More than 300 ships were The Californian monetary system relied on fornia Senator William Gwin, the U.S. Assay lost all over the Atlantic as a result of the ingenuity. Private gold bankers arose coin- Office was established in San Francisco in Great Storm of 1857. ing their own money. Gold was flowing 1851, and three years later, the Branch Mint eastward to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia at San Francisco began production in 1854. This is the story of one of them... and also to foreign banks out of the country. Page 13

S.S. Central America Welcome to t S.S. Central America as seen through its exploration and artifacts Page 14

The Ship of Gold 3D Technologies An exploration into new deep water technology Page 15

3D Technologies S.S. Central America 3D Technologies Important Tools – Amazing Images by Bob Evans, Chief Scientist and Historian, S.S. Central America Project The original idea for the S.S. Central America camera. So, early in the project we began Being able to pickup delicate objects, such as these gold Project was based on the integration of sev- experimenting with 3D technology, the use eyeglasses, as well as massive gold bars, required clever eral scientific and engineering fields, to be of two cameras to capture the scene as sep- innovation in mechanical and visualization technology. applied to an ocean treasure hunt, an inno- arate eyes, along with viewing systems to vative concept on its own. Our quest out the display those images for our own eyes. This recovering gold. We finished that season outset was to find and recover treasure from “stereo imagery” allowed us to see the mys- with a dive that included extensive coverage a shipwreck in unknown condition lying on terious and fantastic world of the shipwreck of that deposit, before we put a number of a largely unknown, little-studied part of the site in three dimensions, as if we had estab- gold bars in Nemo’s drawer for transport to deep-sea floor. lished measure of telepresence. If we could the surface. The engineers developed a few truly new establish true telepresence, it would be as if tools for the task at hand, as well as adapting we were diving on the site in a manned sub- It should be noted that Nemo was a constant many off-the-shelf components and terrestri- mersible, without all the attendant limita- work-in-progress, designed to be modified al technologies to address specific issues. tions and risks (e.g., limited battery life and and reconfigured. Our success with the ste- Certainly, one of the goals was to establish dive duration, the need for life support, etc.) reo still photos in 1988 fed into discussions a “telepresence” for shipboard engineers In 1988, we did this at first with still images, of how this might be accomplished with two and scientists who would use a remotely employing two side-by-side cameras firing simultaneous feeds from side-by-side video operated vehicle (the ROV Nemo) to explore simultaneously, capturing the left-eye and cameras, solving a key to achieving telepres- and carefully excavate the shipwreck site. right-eye scenes. In this day and age of digital Projecting human senses into the deep-sea cameras, it is nostalgic to think back to when environment, particularly sight, was of par- our photographer had to load 300-exposure amount importance. Obviously, every oper- cassettes of Ektachrome 400 film into our ation would be monitored by the pilots and cameras, requiring after-dive development other key personnel situated in the control in our shipboard darkroom. We experiment- room on the mother ship. But a video or still ed with this idea on a few dives, turning our image from an individual camera does not cameras on mysterious scenes of the coal operate in the same way as a pair of eyes and piles, or the forest of corals and sponges a human brain. It is very difficult to accu- living on the shipwreck. We certainly doc- rately judge distance and depth with one umented the deposit that was the collapsed commercial-treasure room before we began Page 16

The Ship of Gold Important Tools – Amazing Images ence, experiencing the three dimensions in gold bar was now much easier, as if it was more than a ton of gold from that deposit, real time. By the end of the 1989, the engi- just a cup of coffee sitting on your desk. but it did not look like there was another ton neers had gathered the necessary equipment Further, the use of stereo imagery greatly there, and there should have been. The com- and worked out the bugs, most of them any- aided our analysis and understanding of a mercial shipment of $1.219 million would way. The trick was: Photosea video cameras, very confusing site. The S.S. Central America have weighed over 4,400 pounds. After the providing a feed through a fiber optic line, shipwreck is, at its most basic, a four-story ’89 season, when reviewing the 3D images, I to a computer hooked to special Tektronix wooden building that has collapsed at the realized that the ship had collapsed in such screens, which we viewed while wearing bottom of the sea as it was consumed (and a way that, as it fell, it carried another part polarized glasses. Once we figured this out, continues to be consumed) by the biology of the commercial treasure to a spot more to it greatly speeded our recovery operations. and chemistry of the place. the starboard side, where it had been buried The pilots found that picking up an individ- I specifically remember that my understand- subsequently in thick sediment. Removing ual coin, gold ingot, or artifact, with a fan- ing of the Garden of Gold deposit was greatly this sediment in 1990 revealed the location of cy joystick located a mile and a half above, helped by the 3D images. The Garden of Gold another ton of gold. no longer involved visual speculation about was a part of the commercial shipment trea- In 2022, now that 3D videos and movies have exactly where the desired item sat relative to sure. By the end of 1989, we had recovered become consumer products, it is hard to ful- the ROV’s manipulator fingers. Picking up a ly appreciate how wonderful and innovative this technology was in earlier times, 30-odd years ago, when computers were IBM 386s or clones, with the whole system having less computer memory than an average smart- phone. I worked with some very clever guys! With the images presented on the following pages, we invite you back to those times in 1988 when we first began to understand the mysteries of the shipwreck, and when we first gazed in awe and amazement at piles of gold perched on the edges of a jumble of col- lapsing timbers. Use the red/cyan anaglyph glasses provided with this catalog, and join us in awe and wonder as we rediscover the Ship of Gold’s treasures for the first time… A pair of Photosea video cameras installed on the remotely operated vehicle Nemo provided operators on the surface with a real-time 3D view of the shipwreck site. Page 17

3D Technologies S.S. Central America Page 18 An initial set of survey photographs revealed the tell-tale glint from a pile of gold coins in this area. On closer approach, we could see numerous stacks of rectangular gold ingots and round gold coins littering the seabed. The corals and sponges growing right on the treasure looked like plants in a garden, so we dubbed the scene, “The Garden of Gold.”

The Ship of Gold Important Tools – Amazing Images Page 19

3D Technologies S.S. Central America Page 20 This view of the Garden of Gold was taken from a slightly different angle before sediment removal. A large box of ingots sits in the fore- ground at lower left. A thin, shiny Blake & Co. ingot sits teetering above the void at right center, just to the left of a solidified mass of gold dust, once contained in a gold bag or poke.

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3D Technologies S.S. Central America Page 22 A stack of gold ingots and coins, shrouded by a gossamer layer of fine sediment, is revealed after 131 years beneath the sea. The arrangement of these ingots retains the overall shape of the original wooden treasure box, long since decayed. Edges of coins at the right end of the stack are visible as thin discs.

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3D Technologies S.S. Central America Page 24 A plume of fine sediment momen- tarily obcures the stack of gold trea- sure as the thruster works to clear the scene. Eventually the wash of the thrust- er would reveal a submarine land- scape that exceeded expectations in jaw-dropping detail.

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3D Technologies S.S. Central America Page 26 After a light dusting with the thrusters, most of the sediment was blown away, exposing the contents of a multitude of treasure boxes full of gold coins and ingots. Two of the boxes contained U.S. $20 gold coins. Some of the ingots show the maker’s marks and other identification. In this view, you can find a clear- ly identifiable Blake ingot and two Harris, Marchand gold ingots.

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3D Technologies S.S. Central America Page 28 Once the sediment was removed, more detail begins to blossom. A $50 octagonal coin peeks out from the gold dust mass at the left which entrains a number of small Blake gold ingots. A shipworm-riddled timber stands like a silent sentinal over bars piled on bars stacked on still more bars.

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S.S. Central America This seemingly chaotic jumble of gold gives lingering evidence of the variety of vessels or containers that once enclosed these shipments. A pile of coins lays at the lower left, once held in a canvas or leather bag which has dissolved away. Neatly stacked rows of gold coins at the lower center balance in place as though they were still packed in their original wooden box, long since eaten away by marine life and the elements. But beneath this glittering surface layer of riches, protected to some degree from the harsh, unforgiv- ing environment, we find pieces of, and some cases, whole treasure boxes with readable labels and red wax seals still in place. Page 30

The Ship of Gold Page 31

3D Technologies S.S. Central America Page 32 With its padded, flexible grasp, the remotely operated vehicle, Nemo, harvests a weighty gold ingot with great dexterity and ease. Nemo was also capable of nimbly picking up delicate objects such as individual gold coins, jewelry, and glassware with equal ease and care.

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3D Technologies S.S. Central America Page 34 How Does this Work? Anaglyph 3D images are made by combining a stereopair of full-color images into a single image. The left image is colored red, and the right image is colored cyan, then the two are superimposed to make one, slightly peculiar image. When the superimposed image is viewed through the anaglyph glasses, the left eye can only see the left (red) image, and the right eye can only see the right (cyan) image. The visual cortex in the brain combines these two views into a full-color, 3D stereo image. ●

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The Ship of Gold Seafloor Mystery & History Page 37

S.S. Central America Seafloor History a Mystery t Many Smaller Treasures of the S.S. Central America by As we contemplate the distribution of arti- descent it ultimately reversed direction as Robert D. Evans, facts on the S.S. Central America shipwreck well, with the bow pointed to the southwest, Chief Scientist and Historian site, including those presented in this sale, opposite its original course to New York. At it is informative to consider what the ship some time, as it sank to the bottom or during Page 38 experienced during the storm that crippled impact, significant parts of the interior con- it, during its descent through 7,200 feet of tents of the vessel broke upward and out ocean, at the moment of impact with the sea- of the ship, including the ship’s boilers and bed, and what degradation has happened some water tanks. since. My own (Bob Evans) opinion is that some The S.S. Central America shipwreck site – as it of the ship’s lower decks were already loos- sits on the bottom of the Atlantic, 7,200 feet ened during the hours that it settled lower down (2,200m) – is essentially a collapsed, in the water during the storm, as the boards four-story, wooden building the length of a creaked and flexed in the waves. According football field and 40 feet wide. to calculations, the ship descended to the The ship underwent considerable damage bottom in around 25 minutes, which means on the sea surface during the hurricane, it would have impacted the seafloor at a bit notably the foremast was cut away in an over 3 miles per hour. This may not seem fast, effort to lighten the bow, lessen the windage, but a 3,000-ton displacement wooden vessel and bring the listing ship’s heading into the full of water coming to an abrupt halt can seas instead of being tossed around in the generate a lot of hydraulic power; enough, troughs between the mountainous waves. it seems to me, to blow out the upper deck Multiple accounts attest that the ship sank and disgorge considerable parts of what lay stern first, so there must have been hundreds on, between, or below decks. It probably hit of men crowded on the foredeck as that hap- with a slight list to the port, resulting in the pened. As it sank, it stands to reason that this heaviest debris lying in a port-side debris incline reversed, with the main and mizzen field. With the decks gone or detached, the masts forming a sort of fin and dragging great ship sat there and degraded, with the more on the stern, tilting the ship so that it sides falling outward over time, like a giant hit the bottom slightly bow first. During the open book.

The Ship of Gold dropped them as the ship was engulfed. This luggage had followed the ship downward in Deposits of coins in the debris field were a cloud of debris. known to those of us in the project back in the The Easton and Dement trunks, made of early days. In particular, one pile of $20 gold heavily tanned leather, landed intact and coins was visible during our survey tracks. unbreached in the debris field, and soon We left this for recovery at a later date, not developed anaerobic conditions inside, pre- realizing that ultimately it would be 23 years serving the clothing and other contents to later, when it would be designated as Coin a remarkable degree. This was very rare. In Pile #1. most cases the outsides of the trunks, bags (Note: Our robot submarine Nemo was an ,and parcels were compromised, and the absolutely wonderful machine for its time, biology reduced all organic contents to noth- but it was somewhat limited in its maneuver- ingness, with just the resistant hard parts ability, and so we concentrated all our gold remaining – the gold, the jewelry, and the recovery efforts on the commercial shipment photographs. While we cannot know what area, a much more efficient use of our time.) else might have been in these bags, we know Our survey passes over the debris in 1988 that three things were very important to through 1991 revealed the potential for addi- those men, important enough to hold onto tional piles of coins, and another truth about them until the last moment – their money, the passengers. In addition to gold, they their jewelry, and their photographs. were also carrying photographs – dozens As the 2014 expedition developed its field and hundreds of photographic cases, com- strategies and terminology, we decided to ponents, and glass plates lay in clusters and designate discrete concentrations of gold piles on the seabed. The glass plates would coins as “Coin Piles.” These concentrations flash, reflecting in the lights of the ROV as it could come about in different ways, and passed above during surveys. they suggest something about the original So in 2014, the return expedition’s objectives owners. included developing a better understanding Some were “only” piles of double eagles, of the debris field. The map of the distribu- such as Coin Pile #3, apparently a bag of tion of coin piles presented here is one of the coins holding fifty-seven $20 US gold pieces. results, based on a mosaic built out of hun- Others were a complex assortment of coins, dreds of photographs, taken from just a few jewelry, and photographs, such as Coin Pile feet above the bottom. This detailed survey #2. discovered many more coin piles. Sitting as The following pages are a look at some of the discrete deposits, these were obviously indi- noteworthy coin piles in detail. vidual bags or parcels that had been swept clear of the deck of the ship as it sank, proba- bly from where the men on the foredeck had Page 39

S.S. Central America Coin Pile #2 Coin Pile #2 is a remarkable treasure by itself. If found in a different context, it would be sensational news. Instead, this pile is mostly considered as part of “the S.S. Central America treasure,” which, of course, it is. It consisted of 264 gold coins, and we also recovered many pieces of gold jewelry, eleven of which are offered in this sale. Coin Pile #3 Fifty-seven $20 double eagle gold pieces, probably once held in a long-ago decayed bag. Page 40

The Ship of Gold Coin Pile #4 Coin Pile #4 is another example of a complex treasure deposit, with coins, jewelry, and photographs. The photographs were the most obvious feature of this deposit, but there were hints of coins in this first close view of the pile. Excavation of Coin Pile #4 yielded one of the more fascinating pieces of jewelry offered in the sale here, a bracelet/ring of six interlinked pieces with a “hands” clasp, seen in situ near the bottom edge of this image. Coin Pile #4 yielded 55 gold coins, all United States issues, including every denomination from $1 to $20, but mostly smaller denomina- tions. It came to $196 in face value, so it was not this gentleman’s entire bankroll, just his “spending money.” Five pieces of jewelry from this pile are in the current sale. Page 41

S.S. Central America Coin Pile #5 Coin Pile #5 also yielded 42 US gold coins, a total of $150 in face val- Coin Pile #5 sat in the sediment near where the seabed was an ero- ue. Again, the coins in this pile of money, jewelry, and photographs sional surface, swept clear of accumulating sediment, with a result- seem to represent the spending money of the passenger, rather than ing pattern called ripple marks, which can be seen at the upper right any bankroll he was bringing back East. of this photo. As with other coin piles, numerous coins are scattered around some photographic remnants. Jewelry came from this coin pile as well, including four exquisite gold rings offered in the cur- rent sale. Page 42

The Ship of Gold Coin Pile #6 Coin Pile #6 was harder to discern when first seen. But the presence of photographic cases indicated that this was once the location of a bag that might have also had gold. When excavated, in addition to some small-denomination money, Coin Pile #6 yielded the wonderful pair of gold-rimmed spectacles (HWAC #146610) offered in this sale. Page 43

S.S. Central America Coin Pile #10 Coin Pile #10 was located at the far southern edge of the easily visi- ble debris field. Only a few photographic artifact remnants with gilt edges hinted at the riches that lay concealed. Sitting 82 meters from the port side of the main shipwreck, this far- flung coin pile yielded some fabulous gold jewelry, in addition to coins. The wonderful double-nugget brooch in this sale (HWAC #152392) is seen here, dangling from the ROV’s limpet tool during recovery from Coin Pile #10. Perhaps the most amazing piece of S.S. Central America jewelry – historically and artistically – is the gold buckle and gold-quartz pendant attributed to California Gold Rush luminary Sam Brannan. The lower left image shows the piece as first encountered during the excavation of Coin Pile #10, with just the gold buckle exposed and the pendant still buried in the sediment beneath it. Page 44

The Ship of Gold Coin Pile #20 This coin pile yielded 178 gold coins, in addition to two pieces Coin Pile #20 was found within the edge of large debris that ejected offered in this sale, a gold nugget stickpin (HWAC #146624), and a from the main shipwreck when the steamship impacted the seafloor. gold ring with blue decorations (HWAC #152395). Concentrations of coins in this area were mixed with more structural debris, sometimes in layers of collapsed clutter. Page 45

S.S. Central America Coin Pile #23 Coin Pile #23 was located in the sediment of a relatively clear area close to heavier debris. The initial glint of gold showed the promise of much more once the area was dusted off. Coin Pile #23 had only smaller denomination US gold coins, half eagles ($5) and smaller. So the largest coins seen here are only 21.6 mm in diameter. Most coin piles had at least a few double eagles ($20 coins, 34mm diameter). This pile also yielded a very interesting assortment of jewelry, along with the gold-quartz rocks, one of them cut for use in jewelry. This suggests that the associated passenger was a jeweler or connected with that business. Pictured at lower right is a gold nugget stickpin from the current sale (HWAC #146631) in-situ before its recovery from Coin Pile #23. Conclusion Concentrations of gold coins on the S.S. Central America shipwreck were found in several different contexts in the port-side debris field. Fine gold jewelry, such as many of the pieces in this sale, was fre- quently associated with these coin piles, indicating they were prob- ably kept together in personal bags or pokes. Many of these coin piles were also found some distance from any gold dust or nugget bags recovered elsewhere and far removed from the commercial shipment of gold coins and assay bars in the stern of the main ship- wreck. While it was reported that many of the men on board may each have carried multiple thousands of dollars in gold, such major funds were not found within the coin piles, but rather were carried in luggage that was stored securely in the ship. After all, other than gambling and purchase of available wine and spirits, there was no need for money on board the ship. The coin piles offer a tantalizing historical glimpse into the private and personal nature of the passengers. The locations of the coin piles well away from the massive, deteriorated hull hint at the tragic dra- ma of the sinking as men tossed away bags and parcels full of prized possessions when faced with the imminent loss of their very lives. ● Page 46

The Ship of Gold Starboard Paddle Wheel Steam Engine Ship’s Bell Found Here Gold Room Area Port Paddle Wheel Boilers & Tanks Coin Pile #20 Coin Pile #23 Coin Pile #04 Coin Pile #24 Coin Pile #05 Coin Pile #06 Coin Pile #02 Coin Pile #03 Coin Pile #10 Composite photomosaic of the seafloor around the shipwreck of the S.S. Central America showing the location of selected coin piles and notable features of the ship. Page 47

S.S. Central America Recovered from the bow of the S.S. Central America shipwreck in 1988, the bell was donated in 2022, and now sits installed in its permanent home on the Yard of the United States Naval Academy, next to the monument to Captain Herndon erected in 1860. Page 48