Kellogg & Humbert Gold Ingot No. 249. 17.12 Ounces, 881 Fine, $311.78 Contemporary Value.42.5 mm x 52.5 mm x 15 mm. A tremendously exciting offering recovered from the wreck of the emS.S. Central America/em. The face of the ingot displays most of the important information: NO 249 / 17.12 OZ / 881 FINE / $311.78. The ingot number 249 is also stamped on the back of the ingot, at the top, while a partial stamp from the assayer KELLOGG & is present on the right edge. Vivid golden yellow patina overall, the back of the ingot with traces of crimson-russet encrustation from decades spent immersed in sea water. Otherwise there is essentially no evidence of the tragedy that befell this ingot when it sank to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean along with the rest of the emS.S. Central America/em treasure. The back is rough and textured with a central depression, all imparted by the casting process. This ingot is plated on page 428 in Q. David Bowers monumental reference emA California Gold Rush History Featuring the Treasure from the S.S. Central America/em (2002).The San Francisco firm of Kellogg & Humbert was established in 1855 as the product of several mergers between prominent regional gold firms. Before long, their assayed bars gained acclaim and were popular in the metropolises of New York City and London, even being utilized by the United States Mint in Philadelphia. Monthly shipments delivered this gold to eastern destinations via steamers to Panama, where the newly constructed Panama Railroad would then transport cargo and passengers during the four-hour, 48-mile journey across the isthmus to the Atlantic coast for transit elsewhere. The present offering was accompanied by at least 342 other bars from this firm on one such journey in late August of 1857. While the first leg of the voyage from San Francisco to Panama aboard the emS.S. Sonora/em was unremarkable, the same, unfortunately, cannot be said about the remainder of the trip. After departing the Panamanian port of Colon, then known as Aspinwall, and making a brief stop in Havana, Cuba, the emS.S. Central America/em steamed towards New York City with an estimated 597 passengers and crew and a cargo of over $1.2 million in registered treasure, Kellogg & Humbert ingot No. 249 included. On Friday, September 11, 1857 an unrelenting hurricane induced flooding that became too much for the pair of coal-powered steam engines, rendering the vessel unable to pump out incoming water and left to be tossed at the mercy of the tumultuous Atlantic. After floundering and listing for more than a day off the coast of the Carolinas, the ship disappeared beneath the waves shortly after 8 pm on Friday the 12th, claiming the lives of over 400 individuals and plunging its glistening cargo nearly one and a half miles to the ocean floor. Lurking in the depths for more than 130 years, the wreckage of the emS.S. Central America/em would remain elusive and undisturbed until its discovery on September 11, 1988, causing considerable excitement among the numismatic, maritime, and treasure-hunting communities around the world. Preserved by the frigid and tranquil environment of the sea floor, the sunken treasure remained largely untroubled and required little conservation to be brought back to the pristine and shimmering condition that is observed here. Since their recovery and conservation, Kellogg & Humbert ingots such as this have enjoyed strong demand among both California Gold Rush enthusiasts and collectors of shipwreck treasure.Ex emS.S. Central America/em.
