Undated (C. 1869) Georgetown, (Colorado) Huepeden & Co. Silver Ingot. About 82 x 23 x 20 mm. 5054.8 grains. .960 Fine. Extremely Fine.A rectangular bar, but slightly irregular. The top of the bar reads L. HUEPEDEN & Co. / GEORGETOWN, and the front is inscribed SILVER .960 FINE. / $13.38. This curious ingot is one of two with this unique surname to come out of an old Colorado family collection recently. Louis Huepeden was born in New York about 1832, and moved to Georgetown in Colorado in the mid-1860s. The surname is quite unusual. and according to Frossetts <em>Colorado, Its Gold And Silver Mines...</em> (1880, p. 333) the Huepeden Mill was one of the earliest operating silver mills in the area, established perhaps as early as the mid 1860s. Census information indicates Huepeden owned and operated a mill in or near Georgetown which was valued at $15,000 in 1870. According to Wallihans <em>R</em><em>Rocky Mountain Directory</em>, however, the mill was gone by late 1871. Other larger mills operated in the region, but Huepedens mill was a local custom mill specializing in processing ore from smaller claims.The ingot itself is very crude and has the usual assay chip from one corner. There are two drill holes from a modern sample to prove fineness, typical of many of the old ingots that were sold into the silver market. Ruggedly crude and visually appealing, this ingot exemplifies the pioneer ingots of the Western frontier.
