Absentee Bids Due: Thursday, Nov. 29, 2001
Live Auction: Saturday, December 1, 2001
Preview: Friday, Nov. 30, 2001 5 to 9 pm

MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA

Most of the following companies were collected by a Michigan Mining Stock Certificate collector either due to the officers involved with the company or the location of their business in Calumet. We were able to locate their operations and mines in other states than that of Michigan. Arizona & Michigan MC (Arizona), Calumet & Arizona MC (Arizona), Calumet-Corbin Mines Co (Canada), Houghton Development Co (Arizona), Superior & Montana MC (Montana) and Wolverine & Arizona MC (Arizona).

BARAGA

1895. Baraga(?). L'Ansa(?). Calumet Mining & Milling Graphite Co. Incorporated in New Jersey 1903. Issued to D. J. Whiteford for 3000 shares, cert #199, in 1904. Signed by S. A. Whitaker president and L. A. Page treasurer. Vignette of capitol building at top center. Reverse has vignette of an elk's head in ornate design. Green border and background with silver seal. Uncancelled. Printer. Adams & Grace, NY. 8 x 12. There is no listing for this company in the Mines Handbook, 1905 or later. Poole (1892) lists Baraga County as a location of graphite. A mining company operating within the county had 1000 ton open pit deposit; the company was also traded publicly (Lake Superior Graphite Co). Extremely fine. Est. $25-75

BROWN

1896. Brown. Green Bay. Territory of Michigan Indenture, 1834. Issued to Daniel and Emaniline Whitney for property purchased in the village of Navanno in Green Bay. Printer - Geo L. Whitney, Office of the Detroit Journal. There is the possibility that these two Whitneys, the printer and the purchaser, are related. Michigan first petitioned to become a state in 1833. The process took another two years due to border dispute with Iowa. The dispute nearly erupted into a war with armed men stationed on each of the border. The border dispute ended in Iowa's favor and Michigan became a state in 1835 (Dunbar, 1965). The sheet would be 14 x 16 unfolded. The sheet is now in four pieces detached along fold lines. Tape would easily repair the document. Text and printing is bright and clear. Fine. Est. $300-500

CASS

1897. Cass. Dowagiac. City Bank of Dowagiac, 1900, check #94. Issued to H. Benner for $9. Signed by Caldwell and Harrison. Two (2) cent revenue stamp affixed at upper right. Extremely fine. Est. $50-100

GENERAL

1898. General. C. W. Lewis & Co, Post Coach Line of Stages, Ticket Stub. Not dated. The stub states that there are connections with G. R. V. R. R. and K. A. and G. R. Roads. The towns to travel from and to are difficult to read. It appears to be from Halyard to Middle?. We could not find towns listed in our geographical references. We do believe that G. R. V. R. R. stands for the Greene River Valley RR which was under the control of the New York Central Rail System in 1922 (Moody, 1922, p 1117). This rail had an A+ stock rating and was located in Michigan. 2 x 3.5. Extremely fine. Est. $50-100

1899. General. John Frink & Co Post Coach Line of Stages, Ticket Stub. Not dated, no towns indicated. Black print on pink paper. 1.5 x 2.5. Very fine. Est. $50-100

1900. General. Lake Superior Gold; An Amateur's Guide to Prospecting in the Lake Superior Region, by Jim Dwyer. 88 pps. Indexed. Soft bound. This lot comes with two "gold" specimens in metamorphic schist with visible sulphides (pyrite, chalcopyrite, etc) from the Ropes Gold Mine located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The mine was discovered by Julius Ropes in 1881. Initially, the ore assayed as much as $442/ton. The Ropes Gold Mine Co was formed soon after the discovery. The company prospered until 1897, when the ore became to difficult to extract and process. During this 14 year period. The mine produced $647,902 worth of gold and silver (Segall, 1975 p 7-8). Extremely fine. Est. $25-75

1901. General. Medora Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1848. Issued to Eugene Borda for 25 shares, cert #47, in 1864, Signed by Thos. Adoius president and James S. Cooper secretary. Several vignettes: left lower corner of three miners working underground with hand tools; center left edge of an Indian with a Mohawk and feathers; top center of a dog laying on a strong box; bottom left of company seal. Black border underprint of "Philadelphia Issue". Not obviously cancelled, red pen at center of certificate stating "F. K. Womrath, Transfer Agent. Printer - Wm Schuchman Lith, Pittsburgh. 6 x 8. We do not belief that this certificate has been cancelled. 25 cent revenue stamp attached at top center. The company was in receivership and the property was sold in 1899 (Mines Handbook, 1918, p.106). Small tear just left of upper right corner. Very attractive. Extremely fine. Est. $600-900
1902. General. Northern Mining & Smelting Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Unissued. Unsigned. Ornate black border. Printer - King, Powle & Co, Printers. 7 x 9. No information was found within our library concerning this company. Mint. Est. $50-100

1903. General. Ossipee Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1866. Issued to Wm B. Frue, Trustee for 10 shares, cert #40, in 1867. Signed by E. Loring president and La Fayette Burr treasurer. No vignette. Black border and print. Red seal that resembles a European revenue stamp. 25 cent revenue stamp attached at left. Cancelled by hole punches in president's signature. No printer noted. 5 x 9. Reverse is signed by J. W. Clark, an officer or director of many of the Michigan mining companies. The only Ossipee we found was located in New Hampshire. We could find no other reference to this company in our library. Very fine. Est. $100-300

1904. General. State of Michigan, Mines and Mineral Statistics, 1889, by Charles D. Lawton. 251 pps. Indexed. Original hard binding. Cover in excellent condition. Inscribed on front page "Charles D. Lawton, Personal Copy". Excellent to near mint condition. Est. $300-600

1905. General. State of Michigan, Mines and Mineral Statistics, 1890, by Charles D. Lawton. 181 pps. Indexed. Original hard binding. Cover in excellent condition. Inside front cover has attached sheet with printing of "Compliments of Edwin R. Winans, Governor of Michigan". Minor wear to corners. Excellent to near mint condition. Est. $150-300

GOGEBIC

1906. Gogebic. Ironwood. Ironwood Mining Postcards, lot of 3. Two are circa 1910-20, underground scenes, color. One is postmarked Ironwood, Mich. This lot also includes an Arbuckle trade card map of Michigan and mining vignettes. These Arbuckle cards are extremely popular and tough to find (probably c 1890). Est. $25-50

1907. Gogebic. Wakefield. Wakefield Iron Mining Co. Unissued. Unsigned. Cert #23. No vignette. Black border and print. No printer noted. This certificate was sold for shares in the company before it had acquired the lease for the land that they wanted mine. Part of the sentence on the certificate that outlines this is "…to be formed when a lease shall have been procured on the S. W. 1-4 of Section 17, Town 47, Range 44 West, in the State of Michigan, and to be known as The Wakefield Iron Mining Company…". Stub attached at left edge. 5 x 8. Wakefield is located within Gogebic County where 5 iron mining companies are listed as operating with various production numbers in Poole, 1892. Small red spots at upper left corner. Small tear at upper right corner. Lower right corner has some minor tears. Extremely fine. Est. $50-100

HOUGHTON

1908. Houghton. Calumet. Calumet & Hecla Cons. Copper Co. Cert.#NY119895. Incorporated in Michigan in 1923. Issued to Herschel C. Moss for 100 shares in 1946. Vignette of two Indians seated around fire. Brown border. Printed by American Bank Note Co. 19 Indiana Intangibles tax stamps across top and right side (5 cent, 15 cent, 25 cent, 50 cent and $1.00). Cancelled by hole punches at bottom right and at left. 8" x 12". Vf. The company, as of Sept, 1923, was a consolidation of several mining companies, including Ahmeek, Osceola and Calumet & Hecla Companies. By 1946, the company had gobbled up a number of other companies, including the Peninsula Copper Co., and the La Salle Copper Co. Both companies had been under the partial control of the company prior to its complete absorption (Ref: Weed, 1925, pp.1012-1023; Mines Register, 1946, pp.69-70). Est. $25-75

1909. Houghton. Calumet. Calumet and Hecla Consolidated Copper Co. Lot of five, old style. Specimen of 100 shares orange, two green less than 100 share certificates, 1 orange 100 share cert, and one brown 100 share cert, all dated 1924-1941, cancelled. Est. $50-100

1910. Houghton. Calumet. Calumet and Hecla, Inc. Lot of nine certificates, 6 pink 100 share and three green less than 100 share certificates, all dated in the 1960's, and cancelled. Est. $40-80
1911. Houghton. Calumet. Calumet & Hecla Mine. 5 post cards, 3 are c1907 and 2 are c1915. 1.) C& H No. 5 Shaft; 2.) underground shot showing timber sets; 3.) loaded man car going down; 4. & 5.) two different underground scenes. Vf. Est 50-100

1912. Houghton. Calumet. Calumet Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1865. Issued to R. H. Rickard for 25 shares, cert #353, in 1868. Signed by Quincy A. Shaw president and Chas. W. Seabury treasurer. No vignette. 25 cent Imprinted Revenue at center. Cancelled by hole punches. 25 cent revenue stamp affixed at lower left corner. Printer - American Bank Note, NY. 8 x 9. This is the original company that operated the Hecla Mine which was later merged with the Hecla to the now infamous company of the same name. Glue stain along left edge due to stub. Stub now detached and included. Extremely fine. Est. $300-600

1913. Houghton. Calumet. Copper Country Printing Co. Issued to Matt Wainio for 1 shares, cert #410, in 1930. Signed by Issac Tumpire president and Henry R. Elki secretary. Vignette of the Michigan State Seal. Ornate green border and green seal. Uncancelled. Printer - Goes. 8 x 10. Trimmed tight all around. Fold creases. Est. $25-50

1914. Houghton. Calumet. Hecla Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1865. Unissued. Signed by (?) president. Cert #142. No vignette. Black border with prominent green seal that resembles European Revenue stamp. Datelined Boston, 186x. Printer - Geo. C. Rand & Avery, Printers, Boston. 6 x 9. Cancelled by hole punches along signature line and obscuring president's signature. Left edge includes small part of original stub. Mint. Est. $75-150

1915. Houghton. Calumet. La Salle Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1906. Issued to Hines, Robertson & Co. for 100 shares, cert #A3519, in 1929. Signed by W. R. Barney asst. president and Chas. A. Hall asst. treasurer. Fancy masthead. Blue border, underprint and background. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell Bank Note Co. Boston. 8 x 11. The company owned 2,360 acres within Houghton County. Around 1910, the company bought out the Caldwell Copper Co and the Tecumseh Copper Co. The company, strapped for cash, sold 157,000 to Calumet & Hecla in return for $1 million in cash and the company is controlled by Calumet & Hecla. In 1925, the company was in the process of undertaking extensive exploratory work under the guidance of the Calumet & Hecla geologists and engineers. They were driving new shafts in excess of 1700', in an attempt to reach the Houghton conglomerate, a copper bearing unit. Unfortunately, by 1930, there had not been any production, and the exploratory work was continuing (Mines Handbook, 1925, 1930, p.966-67). Left lower corner rough by wrinkles and foxing. Top edge near right corner shows wear from wrinkling and small tears. Fine to very fine. Est. $50-100

1916. Houghton. Calumet. Laurium Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1889 . Issued to Peter Marie for 351 shares, cert #65, in 1889. Signed by J. Clark president and A. S. Bighton treasurer. No vignette. Black border and print. Cancelled by hole punches through signature line slightly obscuring signatures. No printer noted. 7 x 9. The company owned 575 acres and was working the Kearsarge unit. A shaft was not started until 1909. The strike that rocked through the Michigan Copper Mines resulted in complete closure of the mine in 1913. In addition, the workings at the 12th, 14th and 15th levels were in poor ground with very little copper shows which would not have helped in strike negotiations. The company was idle from about 1925 on. It is interesting to note that this certificate was cancelled in 1913 at the time of the strike (Mines Handbook, 1918, p.882-83). Trimmed a little tight along left edge. Fold creases. Pin holes near upper left corner. Very fine. Est. $100-300

1917. Houghton. Calumet. Laurium Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1889. Issued to R. L. Cutting for 100 shares, cert #112, in 1889. Signed by J. Clarke president and A. S. Bighton treasurer. Not vignette. Black border and print. Cancelled by heart shaped hole punches through signatures which slightly obscure those signatures. No printer noted. 7 x 9. See above lot for the story. Stub glued at left edge. Extremely fine. Est. $200-400

1918. Houghton. Calumet. Laurium Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1889. Issued to several of the Morgan family for 39 shares, cert #75, in 1889. Signed by J. Clarke president and A. S. Bighton treasurer. Not vignette. Black border and print. Cancelled by hole punches through treasurer's signature. No printer noted. 7 x 9. See above lot for the story Several small pin holes at upper left corner. Extremely fine. Est. $250-500
1919. Houghton. Calumet. Ojibway Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1907. Issued to Roy V. Heib for 5 shares, cert #b190, in 1909. Signed by E. R. Gorham president and F. R. Kennedy secretary. Vignette at top center of an Indian in full headdress with ornate design around. Thick green border, seal and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - American Bank Note, NY. 8 x 11. Five assessment stamps on reverse. The company's mine was located on the Kearsarge lode between the Cliff and Seneca mines. Various issues of the Mines Handbook state, "Development has been systematic, but the former management planned making a mine upon 5-drill cores, which, as has been proven, gave rather too favorable an indication of the richness of the lode. Work suspended in 1913 and date of resumption uncertain." Extremely fine. Est. $100-200

1920. Houghton. Calumet. Tamarack Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1882. Issued to Byron White for 25 shares, cert #7337, in 1891. Signed by A. S. Bigelow president and Thomas Nelson secretary. No vignette. Border made up of small black circles with a green background. Cancelled by hole punches through signatures. No printer noted. 7 x 10. The company owned 1,120 acres that included the Tamarack mine. The company also owned the Cliff mine in Keweenaw County. There were five shafts entering the Tamarack mine all exceeding 2500' deep. The No. 3 shaft was 5,253' deep. There were extensive buildings on the Tamarack property including a hospital that had "interior finish of selected quarter sawed Georgia pine". The Tamarack also had a work shop that supplied all of the "Bigelow Mines". The water for the mine was pumped from the shores of Lake Superior that was 700 feet lower than the mine. (Pumping the water up that much of a grade could not have been cheap.) The company management also controlled the Osceola and Isle Royale companies. In the early 1900's, production exceeded 15 million pounds a year. (Mines Handbook, 1910, p.1298-1302) Rust stain at top center from a paper clip. Distinct fold creases. Left edge has small fold and wear. Very fine. Est. $100-200

1921. Houghton. Calumet. Tamarack Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1882. Issued to Hermann Schrader for 5 shares, cert #11011, in 1894. Signed by A. S. Bigelow president and Thomas Nelson secretary. No vignette. Border made up of small black circles with a green background. Cancelled by rubber stamp on reverse. No cancellation holes. Rubber stamp on front of "A Final Dividend in Liquidation Declared March 18, 1907…". No printer noted. 7 x 10. See lot above for the story. Minor rust stain at top center from a paper clip. Distinct fold creases. Extremely fine. Est. $200-400

1922. Houghton. Calumet. Tamarack Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to Daniel Peterson for 2 shares, cert #5892, in 1890. Signed by J. W. Clark president and A. S. Bigelow secretary. No vignette. Border composed of small blue circles; blue safety print. No cancellation holes. Blue rubber stamp with "A Final Dividend in Liquidation Declared March 16, 1917, - $60 per share has been paid on the Shares represented by this Certificate." No printer noted. 6 x 10. See lot above for the story. Foxing and minor stains at right edge. Small rust stain to left of top center. Very fine to Extremely fine. Est. $200-400

1923. Houghton. Calumet. Tecumseh Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1880. Issued to Chas. E. Legg & Co for 3 shares, cert #C1604, in 1905. Signed by J. C. Watson president and D. Denney secretary. Vignette at top center of Michigan State Seal; vignette at lower left corner of an Indian with a Mohawk, quiver bag and bow standing on a cliff overlooking harbor. Border, print and vignettes all in red. Cancelled by "E" shaped hole punches through signature lines and by red rubber stamp. Printer not noted. 7 x 11. The company was controlled through stock ownership by the La Salle Copper Co. It owned 500 acres south of the Osceola mine. New management took over after 1906 (evidenced by the different officers on the these two different lots) and with this so did production. In 1908, nearly 60,000 pounds of copper was produced from ore extracted by the former management (pre-1907). (Mines Handbook, 1910, p.1308-09). The company's property was sold to La Salle Copper Co in 1910 for $1.6 million. The Stub attached at left edge by glue. Extremely fine. Est. $50-150

1924. Houghton. Calumet. Tecumseh Copper So. Incorporated in Michigan 1880. Issued to Las Salle Copper Co for 1 share, cert #E1464, in 1910. Signed by R. S. Agassiz president and G. A. Flagg secretary. No vignette. Fancy masthead. Red border and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell & Co, Boston. 8 x 11. See above lot for the story. Rare variation of certificate for this company. Extremely fine. Est. $200-400

1925. Houghton. Demmon. Franklin Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan, 1917 Issued to Max Brunner for 41 shares, cert #G4621, in 1922. Signed R. M. Edwards president and A. L. Nyman secretary. No vignette. Fancy masthead. Orange border and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer John A. Lowell Bank Note, Boston. 8 x 11. Four assessment stamps on reverse that are all signed by Henry Johnson treasurer. Minor pin holes at left edge and bottom
left corner. R. M. Edwards was not the president but director located in Boston. The Franklin MC re-incorporated three times, with the first in 1857, then 1887 and 1917. The company acquired the Rhode Island Copper Co. The mine was clearly successful lasting for more than 60 years. It owned 3,200 acres of the Franklin Jr. tract. In 1917, the mine produced 3.2 million pounds of copper. But by 1920, work was discontinued and the mine was entirely closed (Mines Handbook, 1925, p. 1035-37). It is interesting to note that the shares on this certificate were purchased when the mine was in closure. Extremely fine. Est. $50-150

1926. Houghton. Demmon. Oneco Copper Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1898. Issued to Leo Gartner for 100 shares, cert #A877, in 1907. Signed by Geo. Napia Towle president (actually just a director, John D. Cuddihy was president for the life of the company) and John Brooks secretary. No vignette. Green border with black print. Uncancelled. Printer - Boston Bank Note. 6 x 8. One assessment stamp on reverse. The company owned 800 acres on the Keweenaw Formation. The property was originally known as the Hungarian mine and a shallow shaft was sunk in 1862. In 1890, Capt. Wm A Dunn discovered a rich outcrop of conglomerate, prior to the formation of this company, that turned out to just be glacial float and not in situ rock (Mines Handbook, 1910, p.1345-46). The mine shut down in 1900, reopened, shut down again in 1914 and has been idle since (Mines Handbook, 1918, p.898-899). Small tear at top of left fold crease. Extremely fine. Est. $100-200

1927. Houghton. Franklin Mine. Arcadian Consolidated Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1919. Issued to Edward C. Des Rochers for 25 shares, cert #615, in 1920. Signed by R. H. Shields president and W. F. Miller secretary. Vignette of three miners operating a pneumatic drill underground. Blue border and under print. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell Bank Note Co, Boston. 8 x 11. This company formed as a merger between the New Arcadian and New Baltic MCs. The property included 3,500 acres with five old mines. There was 3500' separating the 1250' deep Baltic shaft from the 1805' deep Arcadian shaft. Mines Handbook (1925, p. 1009) states "Arcadian appears to have excellent prospects of making a profitable mine." Very fine. Est. $25-75

1928. Houghton. Hancock. Quincy Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1848. Issued to Hiram. J. Spalding for 30 shares, cert #14, in 1851. Signed by Robt. B. Davidson president and Thom. Hale secretary. Vignette of a very early style eastern train pulling cars through trees and farmland. Black print on blue paper. Cancelled by black "X" across certificate that does not affect anything important. Printer not noted. 6 x 9. Neale (1926) indicates the Quincy is one of the oldest mining companies on the continent. "Its achievements make one of the brightest pages in copper history" One of the first companies to mine the rich amygdaloid belts, by 1925 Quincy had produced more than 726 million pounds of copper from nine shafts on the Pewabic amygdaloid. Trimmed tight at left. Extremely fine. Est. $600-900

1929. Houghton. Hancock. Quincy Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1848. Issued to John B. North for 100 shares, cert #300, in 1854. Signed by Robt. B. Davidson president and Thom. Hale secretary. Vignette of a very early style eastern train pulling cars through trees and farmland. Black print on blue paper. Uncancelled. Printer not noted. 6 x 9. Trimmed tight at left. Small area along bottom edge apparently affected by red wax seal on reverse. See lot above for the story. Extremely fine. Est. $700-900

1930. Houghton. Hancock. Quincy Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1848. Issued to J. C. Cabot for 20 shares, cert #187, in 1858. Signed by Thos. F. Mason president and John Shirpkins secretary. Vignette of Michigan State Seal surrounded by a harbor scene to left and a city scene to right. Small vignette at bottom of man's arm with sledge hammer. Uncancelled. Printer - R. C. Root. Anthony & Co, NY. 8 x 9. Trimmed a little tight at left edge. See lot above for the story. Extremely fine to mint. Est. $400-600

1931. Houghton. Hancock. Quincy Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1848. Issued to James W. Fenno for 32 shares, cert #1260, in 1862. Signatures obscured by pen marks from cancellation. Cancelled is written in pen on left center of certificate. Vignette of Michigan State Seal surrounded by a harbor scene to left and a city scene to right. Small vignette at bottom of man's arm with sledge hammer. Black border. Printer - R. C. Root, Anthony & Co, NY. 6 x 9. Trimmed tight along left and bottom edge. Fold creases. Extremely fine. Est. $100-300
1932. Houghton. Hancock. Quincy Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan in 1848. Cert. #3951, issued in 1873 to John Homans for 20 shares. Signed by president William Angelow (?) and secretary Wm. Roger Todd. Vignette of state seal of Michigan flanked by two robed women with ships in background on left and train in background on right. Small vignette of arm and hammer at bottom. Black print on ivory paper. Revenue stamp in orange underprint. Printer - R.C. Root, Anthony & Co. NY. 7 ¾ x 9. Cancelled by ink across face of certificate. See lots above for the story. Extremely fine. Est. $75-150

1933. Houghton. Hancock. Quincy Mining Co. Two stock brokers' power of attorney to transfer shares in the Quincy Mining Co., 1861. Written at the company's Boston office one is issued to Sam Fairchild and the other Sam Gould. Extremely fine. Est. $25-50

1934. Houghton. Hancock. Quincy Mining Co Checks, 1869. Lot of 2 pcs. Both checks at datelined Hancock, Mich, with Quincy Mining Co printed along left edge. The first check has green print on crème paper with Q. M. Co. in white underprint and is for $20 with 2 cent revenue stamp affixed at left edge. A few small rust stains and holes right of center of the check from cancellation. 2 x 5. The second check has black print on green paper with Q. M. Co. in white underprint. Rust stains and small holes through center from top to bottom edge due to cancellation. 2x 5. Printer - J. J. Bloomfield, NY. Both have triple armed tear at middle for cancellation. Very fine to extremely fine. Rare. Est. $200-400

1935. Houghton. Hancock. Quincy Mining Co Checks. Lot of 7 pcs. All datelined Quincy Mine, Lake Superior. Five dated 1859. One dated 1870 and 1884. Vignette at left of single miner underground with a pick, five of them are blue print, two are black. Five have blue printing, two have black printing. Extremely fine. Est. $75-150

1936. Houghton. Hancock. Quincy Mining Co. Annual Reports 1865, 1867, 1875, 1884, 1892 & 1893. Some wear to covers and 1893 has some tape repairs to reverse cover. See lot above for the story. Very fine. Est. $300-500

1937. Houhgton. Hancock. Quincy Mine, lot of six postcards, 2 are c 1907, 3 are c1915. All outside views. See above lots for the story. Condition is fine only. Est $25-50

1938. Houghton. Houghton. Citizens Bank of Houghton. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to Ed. C. Des Rochers Esq. For 15 shares, cert #149, in 1910. Vignette at top center of spread winged eagle clutching a shield and arrows. Black border with green seal, underprint and safety print. Uncancelled. Printer - Goes. 8 x 11. Datelined Houghton, Mich. Fold creases. Extremely fine. Rare. Est. $100-300

1939. Houghton. Houghton. Conglomerate Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1880. Issued to E. Pelloxey & Co for 25 shares, cert #279, in 1883. Signed by Edward Hoopes (?) president and Geo. H. Lewis treasurer. Vignette at top of three miners working underground; vignette at bottom center of Michigan State Seal. Ornate black border and masthead. Cancelled by red rubber stamp of same and hole punches through signature lines. Printer - American Bank Note Co. 7 x 11. The Conglomerate MC is listed in Lawton (1883, p. 215). His report is too well written to paraphrase, "The Conglomerate Mining Company is doing nothing in the way of mining; everything is as it has been for several years past; and it does not appear to be the present intention of the company to resume work in the mine. It is an old location but was never a prosperous one; far more money has been expended there than the copper has brought." Total production from 1857 to 1882 was only 1,380 pounds of copper. Remnant of stub attached on left edge reverse. Trimmed tight at left edge. Extremely fine. Est. $150-300

1940. Houghton. Houghton. Copper Ingot Colorized Postcards, c. 1915. Lot of 3 pcs. Two of the scenes show a boat dock with piles of copper ingots that are to be loaded on steamers at Houghton, Mich. The third is also of a dock loaded with copper ingots to be loaded on a steamer but the location is at Dollar Bay, Mich, the caption at the bottom states that the copper ingots are from the Lake Superior Smelter. All three are published by Copr. Detroit Publishing. All are unused. All are extremely fine. Est. $30-60
1941. Houghton. Houghton. Henwood Mines. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to James R. Young for 72 shares, cert #46, in 1864. Signed by W. B. Bigelow president and James R. Young secretary. Ornate black border. Unique vignette with a steam stream hauling ore in the foreground, a building and mill in middleground and low hills in the background. Smaller vignette at lower right corner of Michigan State Seal. Cancelled by hole punch of same at center right. 25 cent revenue stamp affixed at upper right corner. Printer - Lith of Henry Seibert & Bros, NY. 7 x 11. The Henwood is an old mine and it isn't clear when the company that later came to be known as Henwood Mines was established. Previously known as the Douglass Houghton, the mine was first worked in 1846, work accelerated in 1850 but no production was made prior to 1860, when 13 ½ tons were mined. In 1864 the company reorganized, taking the name Henwood. The mine was idle for a time, but produced steadily from 1865 through 1868 yielding a total of about 70 tons copper. The company shut down after 1868 and the property was sold for taxes. In 1877 a little over 1 ½ tons copper was produced from the mine; probably by the individual who purchased it (Ref: Wright.). Stub attached at left. Slight foxing along edges. Extremely fine. Est. $300-600

1942. Houghton. Houghton. Henwood Mines. Incorporated in Michigan. Unissued. Unsigned. Cert #131. Ornate black border. Unique vignette with a steam stream hauling ore in the foreground, a building and mill in middleground and low hills in the background. Smaller vignette at lower right corner of Michigan State Seal. Printer - Lith of Henry Seibert & Bros, NY. 7 x 11. See above lot for the story. Stub attached at left. Slight foxing along top and right edge. Extremely fine. Est. $50-100

1943. Houghton. Houghton. Houghton Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1910. Issued to Edward C. Des Rochers for 50 shares, cert #B10, in 1910. Signed by Chas. J. Paine Jr. president and A. E. Cloe treasurer. Vignette at upper right corner of Michigan State Seal. Fancy masthead. Orange border and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - American Bank Note, NY. 8 x 11. Three assessment stamps stamped on reverse. The company was controlled by the St. Mary's Mineral Land Co. (which also controlled the Champion Copper Co) Property included 160 acres between the Isle Royale mine and the Section 16 mine of the Atlantic. The workings were very new with only a 60 foot shaft sunk in 1910 (Mines Handbook, 1910, p.954). Fold creases. Extremely fine. Rare. Est. $150-300

1944. Houghton. Houghton. Houghton Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Unissued. Unsigned. Cert #1852. Vignette at upper right of Michigan State Seal. Fancy masthead. Green border and underprint. Cancelled by hole punches of same along left edge. Printer - American Bank Note Co., NY. 8 x 11. Datelined Boston. See above lot for the story. Mint. Est. $50-100

1945. Houghton. Houghton. Hulbert Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1863. Issued to Gilbert Attwood for 500 shares, cert #17, in 1864. Signed by Jas. Dodge president and A. S. Weeks treasurer. No Vignette. Company seal resembles European revenue stamp. Purpled border and printer with company name in redCancelled by hole punches through signatures. Printer - Geo C. Rand & Avery, Printing, Boston. 6 x 9. 25 cent revenue stamp attached at left center edge which is partially covered by attached stub which has been glued to certificate. The company owned mostly undeveloped property, much of which had been sold, with the company retaining the mineral rights. In 1910, the president was A. S. Bigelow who is involved in many other Michigan mining companies. Idle for many years. Extremely fine. Est. $300-600

1946. Houghton. Houghton. Miners' Copper Co. Incorporated in New Jersey 1899. Issued to Frank E. Kneeland for 20 shares, cert #171, in 1899. Signed by Albert F. Surra- president and Charles D. Burnage secretary. No vignette. Fancy masthead. Green border and underprint. Cancelled by two red rubber stamps of same and by hole punches through signatures slightly obscuring them. 10 cent revenue stamp on reverse has been punched by cancellation holes. The company was bought out by the Isle Royale Copper Co in 1899 (Mines Handbook, 1918, p.108). Extremely fine. Est. $50-150

1947. Houghton. Houghton. New Baltic Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan, 1909. Issued to John Leahy for 50 shares, cert #4792, in 1916. Signed by R. H. Shields president and John Edwards treasurer. No vignette. Fancy masthead. Black border and print. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell Bank Note Co, Boston. 8 x 10. The company owned 800 acres. Construction of a new shaft began in 1910 and was sunk to 300 feet. Near the 200' level, the ground was devoid of copper. But at the 310' level, rich copper ore was located. In 1917, the property looked very promising with a respected management. (Mines Handbook, 1918, p. 894-895) Left edge shows the perforation of the original stab attachment. Small quarter inch tear at top center edge. Extremely fine. Est. $200-400
1948. Houghton. Houghton. North Lake Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to Paine, Webber & Co for 5 shares, cert #B2792, in 1917. Signed by R. Edward president and J. L. Hyman secretary. Vignette of two miners operating a pneumatic drill underground. Green border, seal and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - Franklin Lee Division - American Bank Note, Boston. 7 x 11. The company had property on the Lake amygdaloid bed and the Evergreen belt of amygdaloid beds. In 1925 the company had an extensive land holding and experienced management but a debt of $68,887 and cash assets of $651. Neale(1926) felt the property had promise and warranted the minor expenditures necessary to prove it up. It is interesting to note that this was exactly the same financial state of the Indiana Mine, of which Dow and Myman were officers. As was common during the mining booms in this country, various individuals were involved in numerous companies. Dow and Myman held these respective offices with the Corbin Copper Company as well. Neale (1926, p. 973) notes "The failure of S. R. Dow & Co., Sept., 1912, entailed a loss of $160,188 borrowed by its former president, S. R. Dow, and at the end of 1912 the company was $19,000 in debt. This indebtedness was wiped out by an assessment of $1 per share, levied April 18, 1913". Its no wonder investing in mining stocks got such a bad reputation. Very fine. Est. $25-75

1949. Houghton. Houghton. Onondaga Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan, 1912. Issued to Charles W. Keomeyer for 50 shares, cert #233, in 1915. Signed by R. C. Pryor president and James Duffney secretary. No vignette. Fancy masthead. Green border. Uncancelled. Printer - Goes. 8 x 11. Fold creases. At the time this certificate was issued, the company had done several years worth of exploratory drilling, intersecting various lodes, but never encountering paying quantities of copper. Operations were stopped that year and 10 years later, the company remained dormant (Ref: various volumes of the Mines Handbook.). Very fine. Est. $25-75

1950. Houghton. Houghton. Onondaga Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan, 1912. Issued to R. C. Pryor for 100 shares, cert #A942, in 1913. Signed by R. C. Pryor president and James Duffuey secretary. No vignette. Fancy masthead. Brown border. Uncancelled. Printer - Goes. 8 x 11. See lot above for the story. Extremely fine to mint condition. Est. $25-75

1951. Houghton. Houghton. South Lake Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1909. Issued to Charles A. Phelan & Co. for 100 shares, cert #C1546, in 1922. Signed by T. S. Woods president and Charles C. Paine secretary. Vignette of mountainous scene with a single cabin and power lines running along a rail line. Orange border and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell Bank Note Co, Boston. This company was incorporated as a reorganization of the Aztec Copper Co. which was incorporated in 1880. The company owned 500 acres adjoining the Lake Mine on the east and the Adventure on the west. Two suits were brought against the company in 1921 and resolved in 1925 with the outcome that the company pay a $16,000 property debt. Historically the mine produced in excess of 750,000 pounds of copper, but no production was limited in the early 1900's. Between 1905 and 1911, the company was undertaking exploratory work. Not until 1917 was production again started on several lodes realized by exploratory work. Unfortunately, the mine was closed in 1918 with no further work or production. The hope was that the cost of copper would climb allowing for "…money to be recognized." (Mines Handbook, 1931, p.1205) Mint condition. Est. $100-200

1952. Houghton. Kearsarge. Kearsarge Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to George F. Bemis for 500 shares, cert #7, in 1886. Signed by Chris Van Bryant president and A. S. Bigelord secretary. No vignette. Border made up of small black circles with orange background. Cancelled by hole punches through signatures, small C-shaped hole punches at upper right. In 1886, the company report (as printed in Lawton, 1887. p. 209), production for that year was of 27,000 pounds of refined copper worth only $3,300. The company was hopeful to expand ore extraction and eventually build its own mill and smelter. As of 1886, the company had just struck a deal with the Osceola for that purpose. The company was absorbed by the Osceola Consolidated MC in 1897 (Mines Handbook, 1910, p. 1018). Glue stain along left edge from stub. Very minor isolated foxing with small tears at lower right corner. Very fine. Est. $100-300

1953. Houghton. Kearsarge. Kearsarge Mining Co. Unissued, cert #9308. Unsigned. No vignette. Border is composed of small black discs with a bright orange safety print. Datelined Boston. 6 x 9. No printer noted. See above lot for the story. Extremely fine. Est. $25-75
1954. Houghton. Kearsarge. Wolverine Copper Mining Co. Annual Reports for 1904-1908 (Lot of three pieces, the reports were issued in two year increments). The mine originally failed. The company reorganized but had difficulty securing funds due to the earlier failure. John Stanton, treasurer of the company, advanced most of the capital needed from his own pocket. By, 1910, the Wolverine mine was the most productive mine in the Lake Superior district with net profits over $550,000 in 1908 (Mines Handbook). Printer - C. H. Clayton. Earliest issue shows wear along edges and the front and rear covers are detached. The other two editions are extremely fine. Est. $150-300

1955. Houghton. Mineral Range. Mayflower-Old Colony Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1917. Issued to Jesse L. Tuttle for 30 shares, cert #10774, in 1923. Signed by H. F. Fay president and C. J. Morrissey secretary and J. M. Bird asst. secretary. No vignette. Green border, underprint and background. Uncancelled. Printed John A. Lowell Bank Note Co. Boston. 7.5 x 10.5. The company was formed by the consolidation of the Mayflower Mining Co and the Old Colony Copper Co. They owned 2,040 acres on Mineral Ridge south of the Kearsarge Mine and east of the Wolverine. The company did extensive exploratory work from 1917 until 1930 with only minor production. By 1929, drill information suggested that they had intercepted a rich vein 15 feet wide. The Mines Handbook (1930, p.1192) states, "This is a development mining enterprise, under capable and experienced management which gives promise of success." Edges show foxing and have several wrinkles. Very fine. Est. $50-100

1956. Houghton. Mosquito Lake. Washington Copper Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to Stackpole Gay for 25 shares, cert #1791, in 1899. Signed by H. F. Fay president and Clark Becke secretary. No vignette. Black border with green safety print. Printer - Boston Bank Note Co. Uncancelled. The company is controlled by the Keweenaw Copper Co and was idle since 1901 "with no plans for resumption in near future." (Mines Handbook, 1910, p. 1414). Extremely fine. Est. $300-600

1957. Houghton. Painesdale. Champion Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1899. Unissued. Unsigned. Cert. #96. No vignette. Brown border with black print. Cancelled by hole punches of same along left edge. Printer - John A. Lowell & Co, Boston. 8 x 11. This company was controlled jointly by the Copper Range Cons. Co and the St. Mary's Mineral Land Co. The 1918 balance sheet showed a surplus profit of over $2 million. The company owned 1240 acres and produced an average of 650,000 pounds of copper from 1906-1919. "The Champion is one of the largest and richest of Lake Superior mines and has been admirably managage." (Mines Handbook, 1920, p. 773-775). Mint. Est. $50-100

1958. Houghton. Portage Lake. Isle Royale Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1937. Issued to Mrs. Matilda S. Alt-- for 50 shares, cert #810, in 1938. Rubber stamp signatures. Vignette at top center of three minors with a drill and rock jack underground. Blue border and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - American Bank Note Co. 7 x 11. This company was a good producer prior to 1888, but at that time, the property was idle. The Huron mine adjoins the property and was, in 1888, very successful. Isle Royale owned a mill located near the mine (Lawton, 1888, p.261). The company earned an $80,000 profit in 1944 and was running smoothly (Mines Register, 1942, p. 152). Assessment stamp on reverse. Staining at upper left corner. Very fine. Est. $50-150

1959. Houghton. Portage Lake. Pewabic Mining Co. Prospectus 1866. Mining began in 1855 and continued until at least 1880. The highlight of production occurred between 1861 and 1866 when an average of 2 million pounds of copper were produced. The company was very successful mitigating the volatile price of copper by production reductions but never having to close the mine. Near the end of the 1870's, the company had exhausted much of the higher grade ore. By 1882, Poole lists the Franklin Mining Co as still in operation, but not the Pewabic. These two mines operated side-by-side from the onset of mining and were intimately related. It is possible that a merger of the two companies occurred. Printer - Innes & Niles. Minor foxing along borders. Very fine. Est. $250-500

1960. Houghton. Torch Lake(?). Copper Range Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1899. First is issued to Lydia L. Schneider for 22 shares, cert #B07702, in 1965. Rubber stamp signatures. Vignette of three allegorical males with various tools. Burgundy border, seal and underprint. The second is issued to Penington Colket & Co for 100 shares, cert #NY69289, in 1963. Green border, seal and underprint. Both cancelled by hole punches of same along right edge. Printer - American Bank Note. 8 x 12. This company was apparently owned or controlled by the Quincy Mining Co. (Mines Register, 1962). Very fine. Est. $25-75
1961. Houghton. Winona. Winona Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1898. Issued to T. H. Perkins & Co for 5 shares, cert #6861, in 1908. Signed by Nathaniel Stone vice president and E. B. O'Conner secretary. No vignette. Fancy masthead. Green border and background. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell & Co, Boston. 8 x 12. The property, located on the Winona amygdaloid lode, was discovered in 1864 by a line of old Indian pits along the outcrop. Winona began production in 1902 and by 1915 had produced more than 11.5 million pounds of copper. The company continued to operate, more or less profitably until 1922. Distinct fold creases. Minor foxing along edges. Several assessment stamps on reverse. Fine to very fine. Est. $75-150

1962. Houghton. Winona. Winona Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1898. Issued to Hines, Robertson & Co for 5 shares, cert #16282, in 1925. Signed by T. S. Woods president and Charles C. Paine secretary. No vignette. Fancy masthead. Green border. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell Bank Note Co, Boston. 8 x 12. See lot above for the story. Wrinkling to left third with small tears, minor wrinkling to right edge. Very fine. Est. $75-150

1963. Houghton. Winona. Winona Mining Co. Prospectus, 1864. Mining began on veins that had previously been worked. Little copper was recovered and by 1870, the company was idle (Wright, 1880). The mine was taken over by the Winona Copper Mining Co in 1898 (Mines Handbook, 1906). Printer - J. B. Chandler. 19 pps. 6 x 9. This was Thos. Formon's Copy. Extremely fine. Est. $300-600

1964. Houghton. Winona. Wyandot Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to Frank H. Clifford for 100 shares, cert #A4029, in 1915. Signed by Ashley Watson president and illegible secretary. Fancy masthead. Brown border and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell Bank Note Co, Boston. 7 x 11. The company worked for nearly two decades on its property adjoining the Winona mine, but never profitably. In 1918, the property was idled by labor shortages, but it was felt by Neale (1926) that the company had not fully exhausted the possibilities on its property. Extremely fine. Est. $25-75

IRON

1965. Iron. Iron River. Munro Iron Mining Co Photopostcard, c. 1910. The reverse states that the photo is a large single deck cage built for the Munro Iron MC. Standing next to the cage is J. T. Gray, Plate Shop Foreman, who has worked for the company for 22 years. The company owned the Chicagoan, Rogers and Hiawatha mines located just outside of Iron River. There were two shafts, one 400' and the other 1200' deep with over 30,000' of workings. Between 1913-1920, the company had average iron production of 330,000 tons and reported a reserve of over 1 million tons. The company was controlled by the Rogers-Brown Iron Co. (Mines Handbook, 1925, p.1057-58). Extremely fine. Est. $20-40

KEWEENAW

1966. Keweenaw(?). Delaware Copper Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1876. Unissued. Unsigned. Cert #131. No vignette. Black border and print. No printer noted. 8 x 10. Datelined Philadelphia, 18xx. Left edge has erratic trim. Fold crease that angles from left edge to bottom edge. This company is not listed in Lawton. The Delaware MC continued under the same name until it sold its property. The Delaware Copper MC may have been a start up near the Delaware Mine and was just borrowing the famous name. Extremely fine to mint. Est. $50-100

1967. Keweenaw. Copper Falls. Arnold Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1864. Issued to Titot Abbondio for 25 shares, cert #5875, in 1900. Signed by Chas. L. Davenport president and John Brooks secretary. Vignette of Michigan State Seal. Black border and print. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell & Co, Boston. The company controlled 3,300 acres in two tracts that included the Copper Falls and Arnold mines as well as having about three miles of Lake Superior frontage. The Copper Falls mine was first worked and opened around 1850 with production continuing until 1893. Ore was extracted from the Owl Creek Fissure with the mine producing 25.5 million pounds of copper during that time. The Arnold mine was first developed in 1864 within the Arnold ashbed. The Arnold closed in 1901 with an average of 0.8% copper and a 1000 foot shaft dipping at 26 degrees. The company is presently still working the Owl Creek Fissure with about 5-8 tons of copper per month, or as the Mines Handbook writes "…about 1 ton of copper per man per month…" Large masses of copper were being found with one weighing five tons. The Arnold
MC, as of 1910, was operating and covering all expenses with five employees. The mine site also had a 2.5 mile long narrow gauge railroad known as the Arnold & Eagle Harbor (Mines Handbook, 1910, 372-372) 7 x 11. Two small stains at bottom center, also a slight fold near same location. Very fine. Est. $200-400

1968. Keweenaw. Copper Falls. Arnold Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to Titot Abbondio for 5 shares, cert #A16, in 1907. Signed by Chas. Howard Weston president and John Brook secretary. No vignette. Fancy masthead. Green border and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell Bank Note Co, Boston. 7 x 10. See above lot for the story. Extremely fine. Est. $150-300

1969. Keweenaw. Copper Falls. Humboldt Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to Foley Smith for 50 shares, cert #884, in 1898. Signed by J. C. Watson president and J. Brooks treasurer. Vignette at top center of Michigan State Seal. Black border and print. Uncancelled. Printer - Lucien Sanderson & Co, Boston. 6 x 10. Property located between the Arnold and Phoenix mines with the Eagle River to the south. The mine was opened in 1853, but was never a producer. A shaft of about 300 feet occasionally intersects rich ore. (Mines Handbook, 1910, p.799) Rare. Est. $200-400

1970. Keweenaw. Copper Falls. Meadow Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1898. Issued to Michael J. Smith for 50 shares, cert #489, in 1899. Signed by M. Fitzgerald president and J. Brooks secretary. Vignette of Michigan State Seal. Uncancelled. Black border and print. Printer - John A. Lowell & Co, Boston. 7 x 11. The company owned 364 acres that adjoined the Humboldt and Phoenix mines. The property was first exploited in 1851, but little mining occurred prior to 1860. The Meadow Mining Co reorganized from the company of the same name that was incorporated in 1863. The property shows surface expression of ore where typically there are prehistoric workings. In 1918, the company was controlled by the Calumet & Hecla Cons. (Mines Handbook, 1918, p.867). Extremely fine. Est. $200-400

1971. Keweenaw. Kearsage. Ahmeek Mining Co of Michigan. Incorporated in Michigan 1880. Issued to William P. Raley for 125 shares, cert #10, in 1880. Signed by Jm. Clarke president and A. Bigelord secretary. Vignette of Michigan State Seal. Black border. Cancelled by hole punches through signatures which slightly obscures signatures. No printer noted. 6 x 8. The company owned 931 acres between the Mohawk and the Allouez Mines. The property was set off by the Seneca MC in 1880. Through mutual cooperation with the Mohawk and Allouez, in 1903, these companies exchanged tracts to better parallel the strike of the veins. The Ahmeek mined the Kearsage lode after the Mohawk mine disclosed its orientation. The company built a mill on Torch Lake near Hubbell and by 1917, the mill could handle up to 4,000 tons a day. The Ahmeek company was very successful, with projected productions of 30 million pounds of copper in 1918, already having achieved those numbers for three years (Mines Handbook, 1918, p. 827-830). Extremely fine. Est. $300-600

1972. Keweenaw. Kearsage. Ahmeek Mining Co. Lot of 2 pcs. Incorporated in Michigan 1880. The first is issued to Paine, Webber & Co for 5 shares, cert #B8629, in 1922. Signed by H. Burnette asst. president and G. S. Cudicoff asst. secretary. Vignette of two beavers gnawing on branch. Green border, seal and underprint. The second is issued to John H Denison for 100 shares, cert #C286, in 1915. Signed by S. McKean asst president and C. H. Bissell asst secretary. Vignette same as above. Orange border, seal and underprint. Two 10 cent, one 25 cent and 50 cent revenue stamp affixed along lower right edge. Both are cancelled by star shaped hole punches through signatures and by rubber stamp. Printer - John A. Lowell Bank Note Co, Boston. 8 x 11. See above lot for the story. Very fine. Est. $50-150

1973. Keweenaw. Kearsarge(?). Pennsylvania and Delaware Mine Checks. Five pieces. Each check is unique. 1863-1866. All have vignettes and revenues stamps affixed. All are cancelled by hole punches at right edge. Fine. Est. $50-150

1974. Keweenaw. Kearsarge(?). Pennsylvania Mining Co of Michigan. Incorporated 1861. Consolidated with Delaware Mining Co. 1866. Unissued, 18xx. Unsigned. No cert #. Vignette of a variation of the Pennsylvania State Seal. Red border, print and vignette. Printer - T. Sinclaire Lith, Phila. 7 x 10. The Pennsylvania Mining Company was but one step in a long series of failed operations. The company was formed through the reorganization of the failed Northwest Copper Company. Northwest itself was formed in 1849 from the previously existing Northwest Copper Mining Association formed in 1847. The Pennsylvania located new prospects in light of the poor return the previous mines had yielded. New mines were opened on the Eagle, the Branch and the Trotter veins. It seems probable the Trotter vein was named for George Trotter, to whom this certificate was issued, as an incentive to invest in the company. The new company fared no better that the last, however, and in 1863, a portion of the estate of the Pennsylvania was purchased by the Delaware Mining Company. This partnership ended in 1866 when the bondholders took possession of and operated the mines. Eventually, in 1876, a new company, the Delaware Copper Mining Company was formed which, in turn, was sold to the Conglomerate Mining company which was succeeded by the Lac La Belle Mining Company. (Wright, 1881). Stevens, in 1905, reports that the Delaware mine was an idle property on which sums aggregating about $3.3 million had been sunk by successive managements. One inch piece missing along left edge. Extremely fine to mint. Est. $50-150

1975. Keweenaw. Kearsarge. Mohawk Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1888. Issued to Paine, Webber & Co. for 3 shares, cert #F6803, in 1919. Rubber stamp signatures. Vignette of an Indian wearing headdress of 8 feathers. Fancy masthead. Green border, seal and underprint. Cancelled by several hole punches of different shapes. Printer - John A. Lowell Bank Note Co, Boston. In 1918, the company owned 800 acres with production between 5 and 15 million pounds of copper annually. The mine closed briefly in 1913 due to the Western Federation of Miner's strike. Weed (Mines Handbook, 1918, p. 891-92), estimated that the mine had 250 million pounds of copper that was extractable with a life span of another 22 years. By 1930, the company was a power house in the mining world. The company had acquired several other properties by buy outs and was producing 20 million pounds of copper at a cost of 8 cents/lb. There was an average of 184 pounds of copper produced for every share hold, considered one of the best ratios in the country. Its finances were in excellent shape and the future was bright (Mines Handbook, 1930, p.1193-95). Extremely fine. Est. $100-300

1976. Keweenaw. Mandan. Keweenaw Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1905. Issued to Max Brunner for 25 shares, cert #A12957, in 1917. Signed by Thomas Hoatson 2nd vice president and C. A. Wright secretary. Vignette of Michigan State Seal. Green border and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - American Bank Note, NY. 7 x 11. The company controls the Phoenix Consolidated Copper Co, Meadow Mining Co, Humboldt Mining Co, Washington Copper Co and Keweenaw Central Railroad Co. The company collectively owned 25,000 acres with too many individual mines to list. In 1917, there was significant exploratory work with 53 drill holes aggregating over 3,000 feet. Also in 1917, the company only produced 41,000 pounds of copper. Due to financial troubles and poor work force, the company was considering selling timber from the heavily forested lands it controlled (Mines Handbook, 1920, p. 796-98). Single assessment stamp on reverse. Extremely fine. Scarce. Est. $100-200

1977. Keweenaw. Mandan. Keweenaw Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1906. Issued to George Durich for 2 shares, cert #A11282, in 1914. Signed by Spencer R. Hill vice president and C. A. Wright secretary. Vignette at top center of Michigan State Seal. Green border, seal and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - American Bank Note, NY. 7 x 11. Two rubber stamp assessments on reverse. See above lot for the story. Slight purple staining along left edge. Reverse shows staining from what appears to be adhesive marks. Fold creases. Extremely fine. Est. $100-200

1978. Keweenaw. Mandan. Keweenaw Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1906. Issued to Max Brunner for 100 shares, cert #4444, in 1914. Signed by Spencer R. Hill vice president and C. A. Wright secretary. Vignette at top center of Michigan State Seal. Red border, seal and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - American Bank Note, NY. 7 x 11. Two rubber stamp assessments on reverse. See above lot for the story. Slight purple staining along left edge. Reverse shows staining from what appears to be adhesive marks. Fold creases. Extremely fine. Est. $50-150

1979. Keweenaw. Mohawk. Seneca Copper Corporation. Incorporated in New York 1916. $1000 Bond, cert #M100, issued 1923. Signed by T. L. Cole president and E. R Gochau secretary. Vignette at top center of two miners working pneumatic drill underground. Orange border and underprint. Cancelled by handwriting on reverse of same. Printer - American Bank Note Co, NY. 10 x 14. Only 5 coupons remain of original 20. This was the parent company of the Seneca Mining Co owning 11,960 of the 20,000 shares available. In 1925, the company was put into receivership and with the involvement of the U. S. Circuit Court, the holdings, assets and property was sold to the Seneca Copper Mining Co. (Mines Handbook, 1930p.1203). Some wear to edges. Fold creases. Very fine. Est. $25-75

1980. Keweenaw. Mohawk. Seneca Copper Mining Co. Incorporated in Delaware. Issued to Max Brunner for 100 shares, cert #B330, in 1925. Signed by Wm. Malcolm vice president and T. R. Kennedy secretary. Vignette of two miners operating a pneumatic drill underground. Orange border, seal and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - American Bank Note. 7 x 11. The company controlled over 2,400 acres with several shafts that exceed 3,000 feet deep. The cost of new developments was over $4 million. "Seneca has experienced management and through reorganization has sufficient working capital to inaugurate production." (Mines Handbook, 1931, p.1203-05). Extremely fine. Est. $25-75
1981. Keweenaw. Mohawk. Seneca Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1853. Issued to Beck Brothers for 50 shares, cert #231, in 1863. Signed by John A. Kennedy president and R. A. Rickard secretary. Vignette at top center of an allegorical woman with arms pointing toward a crude, early headframe. Vignette at left of cross sectional view of an underground mine with workers both above and below ground. Black border and print. Cancelled by red pen. Printer - W. H. Arthur & Co. NY. 6 x 9. The company owned 1,880 acres which is less than originally when 1,500 acres were set off as the Ahmeek Mine. There were two shafts by 1900 both about 200' deep. In 1910, stockholders voted to merge with the Calumet & Hecla with a 0.3:1 stock trade ratio. Water stains affecting the lower half of the certificate. Lower right corner is torn off with piece included. Very fine. Est. $75-150

1982. Keweenaw. Mohawk. Seneca Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1853. Issued to W. S. Fletcher for 50 shares, cert #286, in 1876. Signed by R. H. Rickard president and J. M. Davis secretary. Vignette of woman with arms pointed towards crude, early headframe. Vignette at left edge of a cross sectional view of a mine with workers above and below ground. Black border. Cancelled by hole punches through signatures but does not obscure them. Printer - W. H. Arthur & Co, NY. 5 x 8. Trimmed tight at left and bottom edge. Minor water staining along lower third of certificate. Glue stain from stub at left. Very fine. Est. $100-300

1983. Keweenaw. Phoenix. Dana Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to G. B. Frazier for 100 shares, cert #66, in 1887. Signed by F. H. Raymond president and Burbank secretary. No vignette. Blue border, print and safety print. Cancelled by two hole punches in secretary's signature line. Owned 640 acres bounded by the Arnold and by the Central. "Mine opened in 1851, and never was a producer, having been idle since 1857." (Mines Handbook, 1910, 616-617) Staining at left edge from what appears to be glue from the stub being attached (stub not with certificate). Extremely fine. Est. $50-150

1984. Keweenaw. Phoenix. Phoenix Consolidated Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to Cameron Currie for 1000 shares, cert #292, in 1899. Signed by J. Charles Handley J. R. Stantou president, J. Charles Handley secretary and S. Cordant actuary. No vignette. Very fancy masthead. Green border with black print. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell & Co, Boston. 7 x 11. Four assessment stamps on reverse. The old Phoenix mine is included in the present operation famous for having produced the largest mass of native copper ever found, weighing upwards of 500 short tons. (Copper Handbook, 1906, 814). The Phoenix Copper Company bought the holdings of the Lake Superior Copper Company in 1849 and worked the Phoenix fissure from 1850 to 1853. The mine produced over 17 million pounds of copper and more than 25,000 ounces of silver, but no profit. Phoenix Copper became the Phoenix Consolidated in 1899 and was sold to the Keweenaw Copper Company in 1923 (Ref: Wilson & Dyl). Staining at left edge from pen bleed through from reverse. Four staples attached at left edge. Est. $75-150

1985. Keweenaw. Phoenix. Phoenix Consolidated Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to Louis H. Case for 100 shares, cert #A261, in 1899. Signed by J. R. Stantou president, Charles Handley secretary and E. A. Coffue treasurer. No vignette. Very fancy masthead. Brown border and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - John A. Lowell & Co, Boston. 7 x 11. Five assessment stamps on reverse. Extremely fine to mint condition. Est. $100-200

1986. Keweenaw. Silver Creek(?). Silver Creek Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1857. Issued to B. A. Hoopes for 400 shares, cert #59, in 1863. Signed by Jonathon W. Clark president and Heratio Bigelow treasurer. No vignette. Uncancelled. Printer - Evans & Co, Printers. 6 x 8. Company seal resembles European revenue stamp. 25 cent revenue stamp attached at left edge. We could not find any information on this company within our library. Clear tape repair at top of left fold crease. Glue stains on all edges of reverse. Clear tape repair along left fold crease. Certificate appears to have been mounted on stiffer paper at time of issuance. Reverse is signed by B. A. Hoopes. Small tears along fold creases. Very fine to extremely fine. Est. $250-500

MARQUETTE

1987. Marquette(?). Manhattan Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Unissued. Unsigned. No cert #. Very attractive and unique vignette of a woman with her arms pointing towards a crude early headframe; a miner with a wheelbarrow is at the shaft. Ornate design along right edge. Ornate black border. Datelined New York, 186x. Printer - Lattmer Bros & Seymour, NY. 9 x 11. This company was probably involved in iron mining, maybe within Marquette County. The Manhattan mine is located just south of the Mastadon
mine which produced decent ore assaying as high as 60% iron. The Manhattan is reported in Lawton (1885-1888) as being idle, but having some ore extracted in the past. The Mines Handbook, 1918, reports that the company's property was sold by order of the court in 1900. Trimmed tight along left edge. Rough trim along bottom edge. An incomplete spiral water staining spots. Very fine to extremely fine. Est. $100-200

1988. Marquette. Michigan Souvenir Spoons. Lot of 2 pcs. Sterling silver spoon with a vignette of the "ore docks" in the bowl, circa 1890; and the second is a plain silver plate spoon with Michigan along the handle. VF-XF Est. $50-100

1989. Marquette. Marquette. Consolidated Lake Superior Co. Incorporated in Connecticut. Issued to Winthrop Smith & Co for 100 shares, cert #11370, in 1902. Signed by T. C. Search vice president and W. P. Douglas asst. treasurer. Vignette at top center of busy urban center with mill, steam train and ore carts. Green border and underprint. Uncancelled. Printer - Philadelphia Bank Note Co. 8 x 12. The Lake Superior Mine is located in the Marquette Range and was first opened in 1857. Extremely fine. Est. $50-150

1990. Marquette. Negaunee. Negaunee Mine Real Photo-postcard, c. 1908. Detailed view outside mine. Good contrast and condition except for browning at bottom center. Est $25-50

MINING

1991. Mining. Michigan Mining High Quality Color Postcards, c1915. Lot of 3 pcs. One shows a scene of the train that carried the miners underground. The other three are all of underground scenes. All unused. Mint. Est $25-50

1992. Mining. Michigan Mining Postcards, Lot of 12. 5 modern. 4 are c1907, of large copper nugget, 3 are c. 1915 and of miscellaneous nature. Fine to vf. Est $25-75

1993. Mining. Michigan Underground Mining Scene Postcards, Lot of 6. Five different scenes (i.e., there is one duplicate scene), c1908 postcards of underground mining scenes. None have mine identification, although a couple are identified as Ishpeming, Michigan. Est. $50-100

ONTONAGON

1994. Ontonagon. Greenland. Adventure Consolidated Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1898. Issued Andrew C. Sears for 100 shares, cert #72, in 1899. Signed by Henry Mason president and Wm R. Todd secretary. Vignette at upper left of the Michigan State Seal. Greenish-blue border and underprint. Cancelled by I shaped hole punches through signatures and other places. Printer - American Bank Note, NY. 7 x 10. Several assessment stamps on reverse. One 25 cent and one 50 cent revenue affixed on reverse. Blue ink bleed through from reverse due to assessment stamp. The Adventure Consolidated Copper Co controlled a large block of land that included the Adventure, Knowlton, Hilton and Ohio mines. The Adventure was first opened in 1850 along a series of pits that indicated prehistoric mining with the best year producing 230,000 lbs/copper in 1857. The Knowlton, opened 1853, and the Hilton and Ohio, opened in 1863, collectively produced nearly 2 million pounds of copper prior to the consolidation under the Adventure Company. The production of the mines increased significantly under the new company with 25,000 lbs/copper in 1900 to a peak of 1.6 million lbs/copper in 1904. Production ceased in 1908 with the company operating at a loss for the next four years. In 1909-10, there was much exploratory work which resulted in the sinking of two new shafts (Mines Handbook, 1912, p. 12-14). The company was still operating in 1918, with an average of 300 tons per day being shipped to the Winona Mill (Mines Handbook, 1918, p.826-828). Very fine. Est. $50-150

1995. Ontonagon. Iron Mountain. Oliver Iron Mining Co Postcard. C. 1910. The scene is of the company's Chapin Mine showing flumes and a smoke stack belching. The card has been postmarked Iron Mountain, Michigan with a note written to an England address. The company had operations in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. The Chapin mine was located within the Menominee Range and in 1916 had a production of 3.35 million tons (Mines Handbook, 1918, p.944-45). Est. 10-20
1996. Ontonagon. Lake Mine(?). Consolidated Copper Syndicate. Issued to J. R. Thomson for one interest, cert #21, 1881. Signed by Rob. B. Van Vleck secretary. No vignette. Black border. Cancelled by red ink that states "New York, June 9, 1885." Delivered and received on account of the interest represented by this certificate sixteen hundred (1600) shares stock of the Grand Belt Copper Company." Signed by Raymond Thomson and Rob B. Van Vleck Secy. Printer - American Bank Note. 6 x 9. Minimal wear at fold creases. A few small black spots at top edge near left corner. We could not find direct information about this company. There were a series a mines known as the Belt. Lawton, 1888, reports that all the mines in these districts were terrible failures. Mostly, these mine locations were part of stock swindles especially those in England. There is probably a connection there, we just can't nail it. Extremely fine. Est. $50-150

1997. Ontonagon. Lake Mine. Algomah Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1910. Issued to Ralph Paoli for 100 shares, cert #A3214, in 19xx (not dated by transfer agent). Signed by Stephen R. Dow president and L. Wyman secretary. Vignette of four miners operating various pneumatic drills underground. Brown border and underprint. Printer - Franklin Lee Bank Note Co. 8 x 11. The company owned outright 480 acres adjoining the Lake Mine which was paid for with 60,000 shares of company stock. There were 10,000 shares sold to the public. The property was acquired from a company of the same name that had "negative" results. Test ore from the shaft assayed at 24%. Before, 1914, much of the work done on the property was exploratory with only test ore being shipped. By 1918, the property was looked upon very favorably, but still just a prospect (Mines Handbook, 1918, p. 830-31). Left and right edges trimmed tight. Fold creases. Very fine. Est. $25-75

1998. Ontonagon. Lake Mine. Bohemia Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1910. Issued to Hilda Huddleston for 25 shares, cert #372, in 1910. Signed by C. S. Louis vice president and R. H. Gross treasurer. Green border and safety print. Uncancelled. Printer - American Bank Note Co, NY. 7 x 10. Temporary Certificate printed at top of certificate. Owned 960 acres formerly known as the Piscataqua then as the Henwood. The company was drilling in 1910, but suspended work in 1911. In the 1917 annual report, the company claimed to have $130,000 in cash and hoped that development work would resume soon. (Mines Handbook, 1918, p.834). Extremely fine. Est. $50-150

1999. Ontonagon. Lake Mine. Lake Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1905. Issued to Bright, Sears & Co. for 8 shares, cert #29401, in 1922. Signed by Wm Abrams president and R. H. Gross secretary. Vignette at top center of seated woman with several miners working behind her. Thick green border, seal and underprint. Cancelled by rubber stamp and star shaped hole punches through signatures. Printer - Republic Bank Note, Pittsburgh. 8 x 11. The company owned 2,010 acres with a 1,500' incline shaft and about 3500' of workings. Between 1913 and 191, total copper production was 6.83 million pounds of copper. However, the company was idle from 1919. The property was still considered promising and the management was well thought of (Mines Handbook, 1926, p.965). Very fine. Est. $25-75

2000. Ontonagon. Mass. Ridge Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1863. Issued to John Pickering & Moseley for 100 shares, cert #1285, in 1880. Signed by Thos F. Mason president and illegible secretary. No vignette. Black border and print. Cancelled by pen marks over signatures and black pen. Printer - J. J. Bloomfield Stationer. 6 x 9. Stub glued at left edge. The company owned the Ridge Mine which was first worked in 1855. Lawton reports (1887, p.154-158) that the company produced 87,000 pounds of copper ingot and was a quite large operation "for an Ontonagon Mine". By 1910, the company's stock was almost entirely owned by the Mass Consolidated MC. Ridge Copper was in the process of liquidating assets, paying off bills and transferring all property to the Mass Cons (Mines Handbook, 1910, p.1479). Foxing along bottom edge. Very fine. Est. $100-300

2001. Ontonagon. Mass. Ridge Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan 1863. Issued to J. C. Watson for 100 shares, cert #1390, in 1880. Signed by Thos. F. Mason president and W. Clark Smith secretary. No vignette. Black border and print. Cancelled by purple pen of same and markings through signatures. Printer - J. J. Bloomfield Stationers, NY. 6 x 9. Stub attached not torn off, probably this certificate was written up, then cancelled and another certificate re-issued. See lot above for the story. Extremely fine. Est. $100-300

2002. Ontonagon. Ontonagon. Ontonagon Town Site Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Unissued. Unsigned. Red border with black print. Printer - Ontonagon Herald Print. 6 x 9. This company was probably in the business of selling lots within Ontonagon. Near Mint. Est. $50-150
2003. Ontonagon. Rockland. Michigan Copper Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Issued to Mary Burne for 30 shares, cert #F2179, in 1907. Signed by Gay as president and Wheeler Handley as secretary. Vignette at bottom center of two miners double jacking underground. Fancy masthead. Brownish red border and underprint. Cancelled by red rubber stamp on front and "D" shaped hole punches through signature lines and other shaped hole punches. Printer - International Banknote Co, NY. 7 x 11. Four assessment stamps on reverse. The company owned 4,870 acres including the Minnesota, Rockland and Superior mines. The Superior mine produced 567,331 pounds of copper between 1856-1879. The Rockland produced 6.2 million pounds of copper between 1853-70. And the Minnesota mine , between 1847-1870, produced nearly 35 million pounds. There were three main shafts, between 1200 and 1400 feet deep. In 1909, the mine closed and was leased out until 1913, when all work stopped. In 1915, the mine reopened under the company's control with exploratory work discovered moderate to very good ore. The company owned two mills, one known as the Mass mill and the other was under construction located on the shores of Keweenaw Bay. As of 1918, this mill was not complete, requiring only minor investment to finish the project (Mines Handbook, 1918, p.889-890). Right edge shows some wear. Very fine. Est. $50-150

2004. Ontonagon. Rockland. Michigan Copper Mining Co. Annual Reports for 1906-09 (Lot of 4 pieces). Incorporated in Michigan 1899. The Michigan Copper MC was a very successful operation that controlled nearly 6700 acres by 1910 of which 4800 acres were mineral lands, 1500 timber and a 150 acre mill site. As reported in the Copper Handbook (1910) production between 1906-1910 yielded nearly 11 million pounds of copper but "the mine has proven a disappointment…" (p. 1166). Printer - C. H. Clayton. The early edition has the front and rear covers, but they are detached. The other three editions are missing their covers. Wilson & Dyl (1992) report, "The most productive amygdaloid lode in the Copper Country, the Kearsarge was discovered in 1874 and first opened by the Wolverine mine in 1882. The Wolverine Mining Company became the Wolverine Copper Mining Company in 1890 and was absorbed by the Mohawk Mining Company in 1923. the Wolverine Copper Mining Company operated four shafts on the Kearsarge lode and an exploratory shaft on the Osceola lode to the west." Mohawk Mining Company closed the Wolverine mine in 1925. Fine to very fine. Est. $150-300

2005. Ontonagon. Rockland. National Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Unissued. Unsigned. Cert #B98. Vignette at top center of a spread winged eagle clutching branches atop crag. Smaller vignette at bottom center of the Michigan State Seal. Bright red ornate border and red underprint. Cancelled by hole punches of same along left edge. Printer - Republican Bank Note, Pittsburgh, PA. 8 x 11. The first work was done in 1848 and continued nearly uninterrupted until 1871. The company resumed work in 1880. In the mid 1880's, a lawsuit between the National and the Minnesota companies regarding the ownership of rich ore ground. The National won the case. In 1888-89, the National purchased the property of the Minnesota ending the controversy around the case (Lawton, 1888, p.205-06). The company was idle from 1893 on. Sometime in the late 1910's, the company sold the Minnesota property to the Michigan Copper Mining Co. (Mines Handbook, 1925, p.1058). Mint. Est. $50-100

2006. Ontonagon. Rockland. National Mining Co. Incorporated in Michigan. Unissued. Unsigned. Cert #B104. Vignette at top center of a spread winged eagle clutching branches atop crag. Smaller vignette at bottom center of the Michigan State Seal. Bright red ornate border and red underprint. Cancelled by hole punches of same along left edge. Printer - Republican Bank Note, Pittsburgh, PA. 8 x 11. See lot above for the story. Mint. Est. $50-100

2007. Ontonagon. Rockland. Rockland Mining Co. Annual Report 1856. Incorporated in Michigan 1853. The company formed with the purchase of mineral lands adjacent to the infamous Minnesota mines with the hopes of the success of that mine. In 1855-56, a stamp mill was erected and production was near 280,000 pounds of copper ingot worth $68,000. Unfortunately, that year production costs were over $85,000. This trend continued for the Rockland MC and in 1870 the company shut down (Wright, 1880). Printer - Francis Wright. 6 x 9. Extremely fine. Est. $300-600

2008. Ontonogan. Vulcan. Vulcan Mining Co of New Jersey. Issued to James F. Cooke for 10 shares, cert #170, in 1848. Signed by Orren Hutchinson and William Clark Trustees and R. H. Shannon secretary. Three vignettes along left edge of allegorical woman with different animals. Vignette at top center of a seated man with wrap around the waist. Small vignette at bottom of farm tools. Black border. Uncancelled. Printer - Engd by J. Meignelle, NY. 5 x 8.5. The Vulcan Mining Co is listed in the Mines Handbook, 1918, as obsolete. It states, "Operated, 1848, on War Dept. lease No. 98, in Ontonagon Co, Mich." Lawton (1888, p. 94-98) describes two mines with the name Vulcan located in the Menominee Range. However, from his write-ups, it appears production in this district did not begin until the late 1870's. Trimmed tight all around. Extremely fine. Est. $400-700

MINNESOTA

2009. Cook. Grand Marais. Grand Marais Copper Mining Co. Incorporated in Illinois. Issued to Alexander Dunlop for 100 shares, cert #273, in 1890. Signed by Henry P. Washington president and Geo. W. Emery secretary. Vignette of three miners underground inspecting ore next to an ore car. Black border with gilt seal. Uncancelled. Printer not noted. 9 x 11. Chicago, Illinois printed below and around vignette. Location: North Shore of Lake Superior Mining District, Cook County, Minn. printed at bottom. We could not find any other information within our library concerning this company. Minor wear to ends of fold creases. Two small stains along bottom edge. Wear to fold creases on reverse. Extremely fine. Est. $200-400

2010. General. Minnesota Mining & Development Co. Inc. in MN. Cert #663, issued to N. Booth for 100 shares in 1913. Signed by pres. Fred C. Harris and sec. Dadie Lafferty. Photo-reproduction vignette at top left of dredge - the clarity of this vignette is not very good. Black border with gilt seal and safety print. Datelined Duluth, MN. Printer - Goes. Two folds, very dirty along fold line, tape repairs to back of folds. Fair. Uncancelled. Unable to find reference to this company in our library. This was one of the many iron mines in Minnesota, and has a vignette that is from a photograph of the mine. This region was America's source of iron for nearly a century. Est. $25-50

2011. General. New York and Minnesota Gold Mining Co., 1866-8. Three documents: letter on printed letter sheet from D. Drake to B. Bowling, broadside of the By-Laws of the Company, and 3pp letter from the corporate secretary D. W. Drake to B. Bowling; 1866-1868. Extremely fine. These early letters regarding Minnesota gold mining reflect the intense interest in America in the 1860's for the search for gold. The letter on NY & Minnesota GMC stationery is datelined New York, discussing various stock trades. The second letter is a chatty piece discussing matters of the gold company. They were apparently looking for improved metallurgical methods. "I can hardly say more than I told you last December - a party in Saint Paul (Col. Tindall) has discovered the past winter a new process of extracting gold & good authority in Chicago and New York endorse it strongly." … "Our company being nearly out of funds have leased all their machinery, fixtures, etc. to Col. T's company with the understanding that they are to test our veins which we hold there…" "The men who went in with him were greatly excited and were securing claims for themselves as fast as possible." It was reported that the ores were yielding $50 per ton, and "we have ordered from Minnesota 500 pounds of quartz to be subjected to (a new milling process.)" Drake and his group were once again committing the cardinal sin of mining - placing milling before the discovery and definition of ore reserves. It was doomed for failure, unless the mine was a true bonanza.
The By-Laws say nothing of the property. The location, however, must have been that described by James Taylor in his 1868 Report of the Mineral Resources of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains. Gold deposits were reported discovered northwest of Lake Superior in 1865 at Lake Vermillion. The discoveries were prompted from a geologic survey of the area in 1848. Dr. I. Norwood had noted numerous quartz veins "some of which contain beautiful crystals of iron pyrites." "These quartz veins were ascertained in 1865-6 to be auriferous." One assay of the material sent to the Philadelphia Mint for assay contained $23 per ton in gold. The ores were processed at that time in Saint Paul, and the very production tests described by Taylor may have been those done here by the New York and Minnesota Mining Co. Very rare and important early Minnesota gold mining correspondence. Est $500-750

2012. St. Louis. Duluth. Canon Mining Co. Incorporated in Minnesota. Issued to Mrs. Augusta Olson for 5000 shares, cert #518, in 1913. Signed by J. Harrison president and H. O. Olsen secretary. Vignette of four miners working underground using picks and loading ore bucket. Black border with gold seal and safety print. Uncancelled. Printer not noted. 8 x 11. At the turn of the century, iron deposits were discovered by using the magnetic interferences. The local mountains were very close to all rural/urban amenities allowing for aggressive exploration and later mining (Wirth, 1935, p.20-28. This company was probably involved in this local iron rush around the Duluth area. Fold creases. Minor staining on reverse right edge. Very fine. Est. $50-100

2013. St. Louis. Duluth. Photographing the Interior of Coal-Mine, by Fred P. Dewey, 1888, National Museum. A paper read before the American Institute of Mining Engineers, Duluth Meeting, July, 1887. Total of six pages of text and four photos of underground mining. Clear tape repair to top edge of binding and three small repairs along right front edge; one tape repair to left rear cover edge. Very fine. Est. $25-75

2014. St. Louis. Mesabi. Stereocards of Open Pit Iron Mining. Lot of 3. Card #7953, 7954 & 7955. Only one of the three cards has a story on the back that indicates that this style of mining is new. The steam shovel is able to move 5 tons of dirt. These cards show a mine that is located in the Mesabi district just outside Hibbing. Extremely fine. Est. $100-200
MISSOURI

2015. Clay. Kansas City. North Kansas City Coal Mining Co. Incorporated in Missouri in 1892. Issued to Arthur E. Stilwell for 24 shares in 1893. Signed by president M. Bowing, Jr. (?) and secretary Oliver C. Hutchinson. Two circular vignettes at top of underground mining scenes. Black border and print with orange underprint. Kansas City, Missouri printed below masthead. Printer - Bankers Stationery Supply Co. 8 ¼ x 10. Uncancelled. Tape repair at top right fold. Small tear at bottom right fold. Steuart (1905, p. 245-246) notes, "the Coal Measures of Missouri, comprising an area of about 22,995 square miles are part of the Western Interior coal field, which also includes Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. Some cannel coal is mined, but the bituminous greatly predominates". Missouri is surrounded by other coal producing states than could produce coal more cheaply, so much of its product was used locally. In 1893, when this certificate was issued, Missouri produced 2,897,442 tons of coal, much of it from Lafayette County, just east of Kansas City. Est. $25-75

2016. General. Midwestern States Mining Post cards, 1907-1939. One of the cards is of the Bartlesville Zinc Co, Bartlesville, Okla and shows the mill in chromo-lithographic style. The second is of "Dumping ore into pocket at shaft station" at the Cliff Mine near Phoenix, PA, where some of the earliest galena mining began in the country, also a chromolithograph. Two are identical showing a "mining scene, Joplin, MO" both are postmarked Joplin, MO, 1907 and are chromolithos. The fifth is of the Carey Salt Mine, Hutchinson, Kansas showing several miners working underground on a seam in chromolitho style, short note on back not mailed. The sixth card shows"Boodle's Mineral Specimens, One Mile West of Galena, Kansas" with a scene of a rural home with a hefty rock pile in black and white real photo, postmarked Hofflan, MO, 1939. All are from Mississippi Valley type lead deposits. five are chromo-litho. Est $50-100

2017. Greene. Springfield. Springfield Mining Co. Incorporated in Missouri. Issued to J. Wm Snyder for 10 shares, cert #2, in 1895. Signed by E. L. Link president and W. N. Jezzard secretary. No vignette. Blue border and print with bold seal. Uncancelled. 8 x 10. This company may have been involved with lead in zinc. Greene county was one of just many counties within Missouri and near Kansas that were exploiting the sulphide-rich beds. Fold creases with minor wear. Very fine. Est. $50-150

2018. Jasper. Joplin(?). Franklin M&SC. Inc. in MO, 1860. Cert #3, issued to Michael Meylech for 100 shares in 1861. Signed by pres. Wm. Dickson and treas. A.N. Meylech. Vignette of a bespectacled Ben Franklin at top. Vignette along left side of certificate of a cross-section of a shaft with miners above and below ground. Black border and print. Datelined Scranton. Printer - Wm. W. Rose, NY. 11 x 8. Uncancelled. Folds, minor foxing, trimmed tight at left edge, very fine. This certificate is very difficult for us. The Missouri lead mines were in their heyday at this time (1860's). But most of the mining references we have seem to omit Missouri. Even Whitney and Blake with their important early works from 1854 and 1860 respectively show little on the Missouri mines. To add to the problem there was a huge Franklin mine in Michigan at this time. Thus there is a chance that this is a Michigan piece. Under any circumstances, this is an important piece - either from Missouri, shipping pig lead bars east for ammunition etc. ($130,000 over four months in 1859 alone) - or because it is a Michigan copper mine. I suspect the Missouri lead. -fh Extremely rare. Est. $300-600

2019. Jasper. Joplin. Porter Zinc & Lead Mining Co. Incorporated in Missouri. Issued to Mathew S. Porter for 1000 shares, cert #17, in 1890. Signed by M. S. Porter president and C. Y. Permin secretary. Vignette at upper left of several miners working underground. The vignette is surrounded by a very ornate masthead with flowers with the company name on a fancy banner. Carthage, Missouri printed next to vignette. Uncancelled. Printer - Hudson-Kimberly Publ. K.C. Mo. 9 x 12. Carthage is located within Jasper County. The Porter Zinc & Lead MC is not listed in Poole, 1892 or 1898. However, this county was the major producer of lead and zinc during this time period. In fact, the majority of mining companies either had their mines or offices located in Joplin (Poole, 1892, 1898) which is just four miles from Carthage. Fold creases. Very Unique and Attractive certificate. Extremely fine. Est. $500-700

2020. Jasper. Joplin. St. Louis and Morgan County M&SC. Inc. in MO, 1874. Cert #341, issued to Wm. H. Wilson for 1000 shares in 1875. Signed by pres. Wm. H. Ullsten and sec. C.J. Gundrefing. Very attractive certificate. Unusual vignette of miners working underground framed by cogs and anvils. Green border and safety print with imprinted revenue in red underneath. Red seal. Trimmed tight at left edge. Printer - St. Louis Democrat Litho. & Printing Co. 11 x 7 3/4. Uncancelled. XF. Another of the Missouri lead mines. An attractive and colorful certificate. Est. $150-300
2021. Mercer. Princeton. Chillicothe & Des Moines City Railroad Co., Letter and Letterhead, 1876. Addressed to Mr. Jackson, Lompoc, Cal., written and signed by R. B. Ballew. The contents of the letter are to friends in Lompoc and discuss mutual acquaintances still in Missouri area. Ballew also talks about his financial hardship over the last five years losing $50,000. Extremely fine. Est. $50-100

2022. St. Louis. St. Louis. Anheuser Busch match safe. Silver plate brass, with most of the silver gone. The engraved pattern is still vividly evident, with the classic "a" with a winged bird in the middle. The pattern is repeated on both sides with the company name and location underneath. Patent date of 1883 present. This was the most popular national brand beer at the time, and has remained so off and on in modern times as well. Generally vf except the silver wear. Est. $120-250

2023. Stone. Galena. Dominion Mining Co. Legal papers to operate within the state of Missouri. The company actually incorporated in Delaware, 1901. The cover sheet has a vignette of the Missouri State Seal with "Department of State" printed near the top. The document is signed by Sam B. Cook, secretary of state, and J. H. Edwards, chief clerk. The legal description of the incorporation indicates that Charles V. Drew was to be the General Manager of the company. This company was most likely a lead-zinc operation. Very fine. 8 x 13. Est. $50-100

2024. Stone. Oronogo. Boston Little Circle Zinc Co. Incorporated in 1899. This is a 4 page promotional flyer for reasons to buy stock in the company printed in 1899. The company claims to own over 400 acres of prime zinc lands in Missouri and Kansas and takes in royalties for leases. Very fine. Est. $50-100

MONTANA

BEAVERHEAD

2025. Beaverhead. Copper Queen. Calumet & Montana Mining Co, Calumet, Mich. Incorporated in the Territory of Arizona, 1906. Issued to Ed C. Des Rochers for 100 shares, cert #1300, in 1906. Signed by Paul B. Rochers vice president and C. Fichtel asst secretary. Vignette of several miners working underground. Small vignette at bottom center of three miners examining ore specimen. Orange border, seal, underprint and safety print. Uncancelled. Printer - Goes. 8 x 11. This company has an interesting history. The contact for the company was Chas. Chynoweth at Calumet, Mich. Property included six claims, about 120 acres, in the Copper Queen district located along the Montana-Idaho border. By 1910, the office had moved to Duluth, Minn., with a new set of directors and officers and the Mines Handbook (1910, p.c 539) states, "The standing of the stock has been injured by market rigging." The company reorganized in 1913 as the Calumet & Montana Consolidated Co on a basis of a 10 for 1 stock exchange. "The company has been persistently boomed with wild statements in the newspapers and the reorganization is regarded unfavorably." (Mines Handbook, 1912, p.206-07). Extremely fine. Est. $50-150

2026. Beaverhead. Dillon. Poindexter & Orr Manuscript Letter, 1887, to S. Bishop Esq. Reno, Nevada. The letter is in response to Mr. Bishop's questions about a ditch digging machine that they use. The letter states that the New Era Grading & Ditching Machine had worked very well for them moving 1000 cubic feet per day and they had just completed a ditch 2 ft deep, 20 ft. wide and 5 miles long. Very fine. Est. $25-50

CASTLE

2027. Castle. Meaghor. Cumberland Mining & Smelting Co. Inc. in Montana in 1888. Cert #322, issued to Albert B. Merrill for 200 shares in 1891. Signed by pres. T.S. Ash and sec. J.C. Anderson. "Castle, Montana" printed below vignette of what is presumably this company's property. Shows four large buildings at the base of a hillside, with four mine openings and tracks running down the hill to the buildings.. Black border and print with dark orange seal and safety print. Printer - Geo. D. Barnard & Co., St. Louis. 11 x 8. Uncancelled. Folds, extremely fine. Silver-lead mine with a smelter with two stacks, according to Poole in 1898. Est. $150-300
GALLATIN

2028. Gallatin. Bozeman. Gallatin Light, Power & Railway Co. Incorporated in Montana. Issued to Mrs. Thos. G. Hutt for 466 shares, cert #28, in 1904. Signed by S. A. Wudenhall president and George Cox secretary. No vignette. Cancelled by hole punches in signatures that slightly obscures them and by red pen on certificate. Brown border with black print. Printer - State Publishing Co, Helena. 8 x 11. Fold creases with minor glue staining from stub at left edge. Very fine. Est. $50-100

2029. Gallatin. Bozeman. Gallatin Light, Power & Railway Co. Incorporated in Montana. Issued to W. T. Vincent for 1 share, cert #33, 1905. Signed by George Cox secretary with president's signature obscured by hole punches. No vignette. Brown border. Cancelled by hole punches in signatures. Printer - State Publishing Co. Helena. 8 x 11. Glue stain from stub attachment which is no longer present. Very fine. Est. $50-150

GENERAL

2030. General. Gilchrist Coal Co. Cert.#7. Incorporated in Montana in 1894. Issued to Geo. H. Weston for 10,500 shares in 1894. (Shares are written as 105,000 shares in shares section). Signed by secretary Jas. S. Smith, no president signature. Vignette of underground mining scene. Black border. Printed by Ross & Frank. 8" x 10 1/4". The stock was transferred in 1894 to Richard Lockey. Vf, stains at right. We could find no information on this company. Est. $75-150

2031. General. Misc. Montana Correspondence. Lot of 33 pcs. Letterhead from J. P. Ketchum, Helena (1907, 2 pcs); Edward Wagner, Helena (1904, 1 pc); H. B. Wiley, Miles City (1904, 1 pc); James McInerny, Butte (1893-1895, 25 pcs); D. Lawrence, Butte (1894, 2 pcs); and two misc. letters. Fine. Est. $100-200

2032. General. Montana Consol. Coal & Coke Co. Inc. in ME, 1907. Cert #259, issued to Patrick Reagan for 50 shares in 1909. Signed by pres. Henry C. Bryan and sec. Saul H. Hudson. Outstanding detailed vignette at top of steam train pulling up to coke ore chutes and on opposite side of tracks it looks like workers are building a canal. Brown border and underprint. Printer - Franklin Lee Bank Note. 12 x 8. Uncancelled. Folds and creases. Very fine. Unable to find reference to this company in our library. Est. $50-100

2033. General. Montana Gold Mines. Inc. in ME, 1916. Cert #A89, issued to William A. Grady for 50 shares in 1916. Signed by pres. F. Harold Brown and sec. J.W. Macrae. Three vignettes across top: at center, view from atop hill looking down onto mill site; at right, miners with drills; at left, two miners working by candlelight. In between the vignettes are a crossed pick and shovel and a lamp. Orange border with miner incorporated into it, seal and underprint. Printer - Broun-Green Co., NY. 11 1/2 x 8 1/2. Uncancelled. Tears along top, repaired on reverse with tape, discoloration and wrinkles along top as well, fair to fine. Unable to find reference to this company in the Mines Handbooks. Est. $25-50

2034. General. Montana Phonograph Co. Unissued, uncancelled. Incorporated in 1889. 10" x 13". Fabulous vignettes of two different early phonographs in masthead. Xf. Est. $50-75

GRANITE

2035. Granite. Philipsburg. Trout MC. Inc. in Delaware in 1958. Cert. #B17505, issued to W. Mark Bittle and Martha W. Bittle for 200 shares in 1970. Orange border with orange vignette of spread winged bald eagle. Printed signatures. Cancelled by hole punches. Staple holes. 8 x 12. Fine. Printer - Franklin Lee Division of ABN. There is a Phillipsburg, Montana Trout MC listed in the Mines Register, 1962-63. Owned the Trout Mill and Algonquin Group. Est. $20-40

HERSHFIELD

2036. Hershfield. Virginia City(?). Memorandum of Gold Bullion, Receipt of Shipment to the U. S. Assay Office at New York, 1875. Sent and signed by Donnell Samson and received by J. M. Floyd chief clerk. On reverse are the initials G. H. H. & Bro. Small holes at left edge. Very Rare. Vf. Est. $150-300
JEFFERSON

2037. Jefferson. Alta(?). Alta Montana Co. Cert.#2487. Incorporated in Montana Territory in 1879. Issued to B.G. Bushnell for 100 shares in 1881. Uncancelled. Signed by president W. W. Wickes and secretary Robert Brooke. Black border and print. Vignette of port town at foot of hill with steam train passing in foreground. Vignette at bottom center of an underground mining scene. Printed by the American Bank Note Co. . This company owned the Alta and Cornet mines that were assaying about $20 gold, 35 ounces silver and 19% lead. Balch reports, 1882 p.490, that the Alta Montana Co sold its property to the Helena Mining & Reduction Co. Balch also states that these properties are very promising with excellent access to rail transportation. 7" x 10". Xf. Est. $150-250

2038. Jefferson. Alta(?). Alta Montana Company. Incorporated in Territory of Montana 1879. Issued to J. E. D. MacArthur for 100 shares, cert #2493, in 1881. Signed by W. W. Wickers president and Robt. F. Brooke secretary. Vignette at top center of a train in foreground, mining camp in middle ground and a mountain with an adit in background. Small vignette at bottom center of several miners working underground. Dark blue border and print. Uncancelled. Printer - ABN. 7 x 10. See lot above for the story. Extremely fine. Est. $150-300

2039. Jefferson. Cataract (Basin). Basin Cataract MC. Cert.#C338. Incorporated in Nevada in 1928. Issued to Clark Childs & Co. for 1000 shares in 1929. Uncancelled. Signed by vice-president Anderson and secretary Robert S. Lamborn. Vignette of spread-winged bald eagle with ocean in background. Black and gilt border, with gilt underprint and seal. Printed by Goes. 8 1/4" x 11". Fine, top edge damaged, folds. As a reorganization of Jib Cons. MC, sold the properties in 1928, the Basin had a rough start. At the time the company took over the Jib, it was encumbered with debt amounting over $631,000. The Jib remained a mysterious company, with its beginnings as the premier gold producer of Montana. It can only be presumed that its production became unprofitable. (Ref: Mines Handbook, 1926, pp.1082; 1931, pp.1269-70, 1323). Est. $20-30

2040. Jefferson. Cataract (Basin). Silver Hill Mines, Inc. Inc. in Montana, 1929. Cert. #100, issued to Clarence Hanley for 500 shares in 1930. Signed by vp John S. Crowder and asst. sec. Clarence Hanley. Two small vignettes at top left and right of underground mining scenes. Vignette at center of road winding up into the mountains. Gilt border, safety print and seal. Printer - Goes. Uncancelled. 11 x 8. XF. The company owned the Silver Hill mine, 2 patented claims, and 45 acres in Cataract (Basin) district, adjoining the Comet mine. Developed by a 350' tunnel to a depth of 75'. Ore occurred in a fissure vein that was 6" to 12' wide, in rhyolite and was reported to assay 34.5% lead, 2.2% zinc, 4% copper and 148 oz/ton silver. Shipments in 1929 returned a net of $5/ton. As of 1931, lessees had produced over $300,000 worth of ore and the company was planning to install a compressor and sink a shaft. (Ref: Mines Hdbk, 1931, p1357.) Est. $25-50

JOPLIN

2041. Joplin. Consolidated Troup Mining Co. Eight (8) checks and Annual Statement/Promotional pamphlet from 1903. The checks, from1903-1904, are dividend payment checks. The company paid out nearly $100,000 in dividends. One of the eight checks is printed on pink paper with black print and blue underprint; there is a vignette of a bridge across a lake. The other seven are printed on crème paper with black print, orange border and a vignette, in orange underprint, of a mill and a horse drawn carriage. 3 x 8. All checks are signed by Frank Martin treasurer. All very to extremely fine. Est. $50-100

LEWIS & CLARK

2042. Lewis & Clark. Helena. Blackfoot M&MC. Lot of 3 pcs. Territorial certificate. Inc. in Territory of Montana. Cert #2891, unissued, 188x. Vignette of four miners working underground. Black border and print with pale pink safety print. Datelined Helena, M.T. Printer - Pioneer Press Co., St. Paul. 11 x 7. Uncancelled. XF; Gold Hill & Lee Mountain MC of Helena, M.T.. Inc. in Montana Terr. Cert #218, unissued, 188x. Small, crude vignette in lower left corner of mine building in background and two miners working underground in foreground. Black border and red safety print. Datelined Helena, Montana. Printer - Geo. E. Boos. 10 x 5. Uncancelled. Extremely fine. Middle Fork MC of Helena, Montana. Inc. in Montana. Unissued, 188x. Datelined Helena, M.T. Black border and print. No vignette. XF. 11 1/2 x 7. Probably one of the gold companies near Helena. All probably gold companies near Helena. Est. $50-100
2043. Lewis & Clark. Helena. Montana Sampling Works Sample Reports for the Helena & Victor MC, 1888. Lot of 2 pcs. These are moisture content and weight of two separate ore rail cars full of galena (lead) ore. This is a common practice still today in most mines. Both are in black ink, one is on crème paper the other is on orange paper. Fold creases. Very fine. Est. $25-75

2044. Lewis & Clark. Helena. Penn-Yan MC. Lot of 2. Cert.#122, 221. Incorporated in Montana. One is issued to J.L. Buskett for 2500 shares in 1891. The other is unissued. Uncancelled. Both are signed by president Henry H. Hill. Vignette of nine coins with varied values. Gilt and silver vignette, burgundy border and underprint. Wonderful vignette of America's classic coinage. , showing the full variety of gold coins ($2.5, $5, $10, $20 with the obverse and reverse of each). Datelined Helena, thus we suspect one of the many gold properties near there. Printed by Pioneer Press. 9" x 11". The issued certificate is Vf, stains at left margin. The unissued is XF. Est. $350-500

2045. Lewis & Clark. Helena. Postal Return Registered-Letter Receipt, 1873. This return receipt is addressed to Galloway & Ward in Virginia, Montana sent from First National Bank in Helena. The best part of this document is not necessarily the age, but that the postmark is from Virginia City, Montano, misspelled by the Post Office. A unique but not unheard of mistake by the USPS. 4 x 4. Extremely fine. Est. $75-150

2046. Lewis & Clark. Rimini. H-B MC. Cert. #7. Inc. in NM, 1944. Issued to George A. Shipley for 1 share in 1945. Signed by pres. Robert Warren and sec. J.F. Woodbury. Two small vignettes at left and right, one of miners underground and one of prospectors above ground. Vignette at center of mill site. Black border and print with gilt safety print and seal. Printed by Goes. 10 x 6. Uncancelled, one staple at top left, XF. Office located in Silver City. The company owned the Free Speech Mine at Rimini, Montana. "Rimini is an old mining camp where polluted waters from century old mining is plentiful. In Montana, we folks believe that such things are good for the body. We have Radioactive Radon Gas "Health" Mines. We have cyanide laced waters, polluted with heavy metals from gold mining. We have people drinking the effluence from mine waste right on TV. The up side of this is that the people drinking this stuff don't need a satellite dish to pick up alien transmissions, and can surf the net without even owning a computer! The poisoned water has little effect on the native born denizens of this area, but it seems to make folks who move here somewhat eccentric and misunderstood by any number of local and national law enforcement agencies. The major portion of Helena's drinking water supply comes from the Rimini Area." And: "Rimini, Montana is named after Francesca da Rimini, made famous in Dante's Inferno as an adulteress who was punished with her lover, Pado. In reality, she was the 13th century daughter of Guido da Polenta, Lord of Ravenna. She was married to Giovanni da Rimini, son of the Maletesta. Giovanni was reputed to be a brave but deformed and hateful person. Having discovered his wife in a compromising position of criminal intimacy with her own brother, he had them both killed. This story has become the subject of a number of poems, plays, paintings and operas. " (Ref: ; Mines Reg, 1946, p135.) Est. $25-75

MADISON

2047. Madison. Brandon. Toledo Mine. Photograph of the 40 man mining crew posing on the porch of a building. The photograph is 6 x 9 matted in a 13 x 17 black mat and is dated 1904, Toledo Mine. There are two women and a shopkeep at right side. In 1905, the Toledo Mining & Power Co organized with a main office in Brandon, Madison County. No photographer noted. Very fine. Est. $75-150

MINERAL

2048. Mineral. Superior. Iron Mountain Tunnel Co. Inc. in Montana. Cert #A1016, issued to Martha Kohn for 100 shares in 1910. Signed by pres. William L. Ranft and sec. Clifford Smith. No vignette, green border and safety/underprint. Printer - John A. Lowell Bank Note Co., Boston. 11 x 8. Three assessments rubber stamped on face of certificate. Two folds. Very fine. This company's mine, concentrator, power line and supplies were purchased by the Federal Mining & Smelting Co. in July 1915 for $100,000. The mine was an old one having been stoped for 1700' above water level 20 years prior. Operations were reported in 1916 to have been at a steady deficit, but it was expected to pay soon. (Ref: Mines Hdbk, 1916, p634, p493) Rare. Est. $50-100
MISSOULA

2049. Missoula. DeBorgia. Rough Rider M&MC. Inc. in WA, 1907. Cert #90, issued to Ellen F. Brandt for 250 shares in 1909. Signed by pres. A.L. Thurston and asst. sec. R. Covington. Datelined Spokane, WA. Black border, gilt seal and safety print. Printer - Goes. 10 x 6. Uncancelled. Two folds, 1 3/4" tear at right fold. Very fine. Also includes a letter on A.L. Thurston, Vice President and General Manager of the Valentine Mining Company, Ltd. Letterhead, datelined Wallace, Idaho, 1917. It is addressed to the Stockholders of the Rough Rider Mining & Milling Co. It begins, "Greeting - Through the oversight of our secretary, A.E. Wagland, in neglecting to file the annual report with the Secretary of State for the year 1915, our charter was forfeited according to law and the Rough Rider Mining & Milling Company as a corporation is therefore out of existence and its capital stock absolutely worthless." For those stockholders, the news gets better though as Thurston explains that he can offer share for share stock in a new corporation which is the lawful owner of the Rough Rider property called the Valentine Mining Co., Ltd. He goes on to report, "Owing to the defunct condition of our company, the annual assessment work for the year 1916 could not be done for the company, and therefore the property was open for relocation January 1, 1917. A miner in DeBorgia, Montana, located the ground and after the work was completed and properly recorded, he sold the property to the Valentine Mining Company, Ltd., of which I am the principal stockholder…" The company owned 4 claims 6 1/2 miles from a railroad and carried an orebody without defined walls, opened by a 60' shaft. The ore gave good values in lead, copper, silver and gold. The Rough Riders were a group of men gathered by Theodore Roosevelt in the summer of 1898 to prepare for the campaign to oust Spain from Cuba. They were officially called the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, but were soon known as Teddy's Rough Riders. 23,000 men signed up to become a Rough Rider, but only 2000 were selected and the men chosen were "equal parts cowboy and solider" who were promptly whipped into shape by riding out and fighting every day despite the scorching hot Texas weather. In July of 1898, Teddy and the Rough Riders rode out to begin their assault on the Spaniards and, in conjunction with the assaults of other troops, they successfully defeated them. The price was extremely high for the Riders, but their fame was cemented with that afternoon's success. Of course, their trials were not over upon winning the war, for they and all the other US troops, were exposed to yellow fever and other potentially deadly diseases and sending these men home could have proven disastrous to their families and communities. Roosevelt, the Rough Riders and men from the other troops were all sent to the remote and relatively uninhabited Montauk where they would stay until September, at which time they were considered healthy enough to return to their homes and families. (Ref: Copper Hdbk, 1910-11, p1497-98; www.montauklife.com/teddy98.html) Est. $75-150

MONTANA/IDAHO

2050. Montana / Idaho. Two Mining Postcards, c1907. One classic underground scene at Butte with four miners and 2 miners' candlesticks sticking out of the timbers. Other of the Callahan mine in Idaho. VF. Est $25-35

SAUNDERS

2051. Saunders. Granite Creek. Ambassador Mines Corp. Incorporated in Washington 1936. Issued to Jessie M. Haff for 4000 shares, cert #598, in 1937. Signed by John A. Walker president and S. M Laring secretary. No vignette. Blue border and safety print. Cancelled by hole punches of same and black rubber stamp. Printer not noted. 8 x 12. The company had 24 claims on Granite Creek in Saunders County. Its main office was in Spokane. There were about 2000 feet of tunnel workings on a promising silver lead deposit. The mine reopened in 1948 employing 5 men. (Mines Register, 1949, p.32). Small glue stain at lower left corner. Pin head sized red spots at right edge. Very fine. Est. $20-40

SILVER BOW

2052. Silver Bow. Butte. Anaconda Mine & Smelter Postcard Collection, 1905-1920. Lot of 14 pcs. The smelter was taken down about 1980, sold as brick salvage, but the cement mortar had been replaced by copper. Est. $50-100

2053. Silver Bow. Butte. Butte & Superior Mining Co. Annual Reports 1918-1924. All in extremely fine to mint condition. Est. $150-250

2054. Silver Bow. Butte. Butte Electric Railway Co. Inc. in WV. Two unissued certificates: 108/109. 190x. Great vignette of an electric railway car. Black border and print, no seal, no signatures, extremely fine. Printer - ABN. 10 1/2 x 7. Est. $30-50
2055. Silver Bow. Butte. Butte Mining Postcards, 1910-1940. Lot of 10 pcs. These cards shows scenes of the various mines in the Butte area including the Ohio mine, Minnie Kealy Mine, Mountain View Mine, Mountain Con Mine, Bell & Diamond Mine, Original Mine and three cards showing the richest hill in the world. Very fine. Some postmarked. Est. $50-100

2056. Silver Bow. Butte. Columbia Gardens, Butte, MT Photopostcard, c. 1910. Postmarked Three Forks, Mont, 19xx. Very fine. Est. $20-40

2057. Silver Bow. Butte. Marcus Daly Handbill, 1893. This handbill was developed in an attempt to form a silver mine owners lobby. During this time period, the governments of the World were considering ceasing the use of silver in coins. In fact, India was the first country to abandon the use of gold and silver coinage. The handbill states that the conspiracy was founded in European countries to stop the free exchange of silver coinage in favor of a monometallic standard (gold). An interesting political struggle of the late 19th century. As we know now, silver continued to be used in coinage and minting. Extremely fine. Est. $75-150

2058. Silver Bow. Butte. Montana Mining, Loan and Investment Co. Lot of 4 Scrip notes for various amounts. Dating from 1903-04. Green for 50 cents, blue for 25 cents, brown for 25 cents and yellow for 50 cents. All are Unissued and in very fine condition. 2 1/2" x 6". 4. Three different 25 cent notes and one 50 cent note. The 25 cents was in part payment of 1/4 share of stock in the company. All dated February to April, 1903. On the scrip they represented that they had $12 million in paid up stock in the company, highly doubtful. Rare. Est. $100-200

2059. Silver Bow. Butte. Moulton Mining Co. Cert.#68, A1021. Incorporated in Montana Territory. One issued to W. H. H. Bowers for 1667 shares in 1881, and the other issued to Chas G. Davis for 100 shares in 1886. Both signed by president W. A. Clark. Blue and black borders, with the same vignettes of an underground mining scene under the masthead, and one of a man holding mining tools over shoulder. Both are cancelled by hole punches and/or cuts. American Bank Note Co., printers. William Andrews Clark was born in Pennsylvania, studied law, taught school, drove a team to Colorado where he eventually worked the gold mines. In 1863 he went to Montana where he gained his wealth as a merchant. Clark was responsible for building the first stamp mill and the first smelter in Butte, subsequent to his purchase of the Colussa and Gabettetta mining claims. (Ref: DAB, 1930, pp.144-146). 7" x 11". Vf. Est. $100-200

2060. Silver Bow. Butte. Moulton Mining Co. Incorporated in the Territory of Montana. Issued to Henry Wagner for 100 shares, cert #A1522, in 1891. Signed by W. A. Clark president and John T. Hanna asst. secretary. Vignette of three miners working underground with vignette at bottom center of a miner with a sledge and hand drill with train bridge in background. Border and print in blue, including vignettes. Cancelled by red rubber stamp. Printer - ABN. 7 x 11. See lot above for the story. Trimmed very tight along left edge, just beginning to affect edge. Very fine. Est. $50-100

2061. Silver Bow. Butte. North Butte Mining Co. Annual Reports from 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1914 & 1922. Incorporated in Minnesota 1905. These annual reports represent the history of the North Butte MC. In the first year of production and the ensuing years, the company's mines were "declared to be the most sudden and spectacular success at that time known in copper mining…" (Mines Handbook, 1930, p. 1341). Although there were several litigations, as outlined within several of the reports, with neighboring companies, production was strong and consistent through the 1910's. By the early 1920's, metal prices were low and the company was experiencing financial difficulty. In 1923, all work was suspended on the Butte properties with the company transporting much of the large equipment to Arizona to develop new properties. The Arizona ventures were an ultimate failure and the company resumed mining in Butte in the late 1920's (Mines Handbook, 1930, p. 1341). 6 x 9. Extremely fine. Est. $150-300

2062. Silver Bow. Butte. Original Butte Mining Co. Cert.#327. Incorporated in New York in 1881. Issued to Marcus Daly for 200 shares in 1882. Signed by president T. M. Dunfee, secretary Geo. B. Child and treasurer Chas. S. Miller. Signed on back by Marcus Daly. Black border and print. Location of Mine: Butte, Montana printed on certificate. Marcus Daly was a politician from Montana who was one of the leaders in fighting the cessation of using silver and gold in coinage (see lot above) and was a debating advesary of W. A. Clark. Original Butte owned the Original mine, which was a copper mine located in the center of Butte, and was said to have been worked by the Indians. It was named
the Original mine because it was the first quartz lode to be found in the district. W.A. Clark bought the Original mine in 1873 and it was probably the first Butte mine to produce copper ore in commercial quantities. In those days, since no successful method of extracting copper from ore had been found in the United States, the copper ore was shipped all the way to Swansea, Wales, Great Britain, which at the time was the copper smelting capital of the world. (Marcosson, 1957, pp84, 140, 142; Weed, USGS Prof. Paper 74, p133; W.P.A, 1943, p195) 7 x 11. Cancelled hole punches. VF. Est. $75-100

2063. Silver Bow. Butte. Original Butte Mining Co. Incorporated in New York, 1881. Issued to Chas. S. Miller for 10,000 shares, cert #42, in 1881. Signed by Charles S. Miller treasurer and Geo B. Child secretary and E. T. Childs president. No vignette. Fancy masthead with company name. Black border. Cancelled by blue rubber stamp and by hole punches below signatures. Printer - E. C. Philbrick, Boston. 7 x 10. Location of Mine: Butte, Montana printed on certificate. See lot above for the story. Very fine. Est. $75-150

2064. No Lot.

Silver Bow. Butte. See also New Mexico, Grant County, for the Longmaid Mining Archive.

2065. Silver Bow. Butte. St. Paul & Butte MC. Inc. in MT. Cert #109, issued to J.M. Sullivan for 1000 shares in 1896. Signed by pres. W.W. Allen and sec. J.H. Morong. Very attractive certificate. Vignette at top of four miners working underground; at left, partially obscured by the seal, an unusual vignette of a cross-section of a shaft; at right, a small vignette of one miner pushing an ore car and the other wielding a pick. Black border and print with pale orange safety print. Gold seal. "Butte, Montana" printed underneath masthead. Datelined Chicago, IL. Printer - Brown, Treacey & Co., St. Paul. 9 3/4 x 7 3/4. Two folds, uncancelled, very fine. Very fancy and attractive. Rare. Dead by 1896, according to Poole. When Sullivan bought this stock, he was fleeced. Est. $100-200

2066. Silver Bow. Butte. W. A. Clark Billhead Receipt, 1893. W. A. Clark was also a banker in the Butte area. This is a receipt for a payment to the Bullion Exchange Bank in Carson City. Very fine. Est. $25-50

2067. Silver Bow. Butte. William A. Clark Signature on Letter, 1888. The letter is written to W. P. McBride, Clark's mine superintendent at Butte, asking if he would find work for two men that wrote Clark. Clark states that they are Cornishmen and worked well for him. Clark was a key mine financier and worked closely with the trio of Hearst, Haggin and Tevis. Clark went on to be the Senator of Montana and was noted for feuding with fellow democrat Marcus Daly. Letters from Clark are very rare. The cover for this letter is included. Very fine. Est. $200-400

2068. Silver Bow. Butte. William A. Clark Signature on Letter, 1889. The letter is written to W. P. McBride accepting his resignation as Superintendent. Clark wishes him "every success possible in whatever you may do". The letter is written on Clark's personal stationary with W. A. Clark at upper left in purple ink and Butte, Montana at right also in purple ink. See above lot for the story. Includes the cover for the letter. Very Rare. Very fine. Est. $300-500

2069. Silver Bow. Butte. Yegan Bros. Bankers/ pic bank/ Butte, Mont. //We will accept this/ one deposit/ for 50 cents/ if you open a new/ savings account/ of $5.00/ …br, rd, 31mm, c 1910, vf. Est $20-40