1881 Leadville, Colorado Silver Ingot. Presented to Maud Lord Drake. 95 x 47 x 23 mm. 32 oz 20 dwts. Choice About Uncirculated.A truly impressive and historical Colorado ingot, the largest face - which seems to be the bottom of the ingot is inscribed: Love And Truth / Presented to / Maud E Lord / By Her many Friends / OF / Leadville Colorado / Sept 22d 1881. Flanking these inscriptions are two finely engraved images of hard-rock miners with shovel and pickaxe. The opposite side, which serves as the "top" of the ingot bears the following inscription in fine script: Dearest Sister / We present to you this small memento / Of pure unalloyed silver from / its native mountain home, / As emblematical in its whiteness / Of the purity of your heart, and / Refined in its material as are / the principles you have taught us. On this side, as on all the others, the inscriptions or images are bordered by ornamental borders. On one of the longer sides is engraved: God bless and protect you and / The principles you advocate, is the / Prayer of your Leadville Friends. Opposite this is an anepigraphic scene of forested mountains and plains. One of the two shorter sides is inscribed Engraved by / Paul Lyon With Dan G Golding / Leadville, Colo. The final shorter side is inscribed with the weight and fineness of the piece: Weight / 32 oz 20 dwts / 1000 Fine.Regarded as the finest historical ingot known from Colorado, this magnificent piece is in exemplary condition and was presented to a fascinating individual--Maud Drake, a medium who conducted meetings of the occult. She was a well-known public figure who hosted numerous events in meeting halls around the West, performing a variety of theatrical displays. Her long and storied past has been written about by contemporary critics and present-day historians alike.Ex: John J. Ford, Jr. Collection.
