World’s Largest California Gold Rush Artifact

The mammoth California Gold Rush monetary gold instrument is the single most valuable item recovered from what Life Magazine called the “Greatest Treasure Ever Found”, the Ship of Gold.

The giant 64-pound Assay Monetary Gold Ingot is famously known as the “Eureka bar.” This unique monetary document has an 1857 face value of $17,433.57 and is a currency document made of California Gold Rush gold. It was manufactured by coiner and assayer, Kellogg & Humbert company in 1857.

The Eureka Bar only exists today because of the September 12, 1857, sinking of the SS Central America. The history and events following the sinking of this 2.5 ton shipment of gold from San Francisco to New York are well documented in bestselling novels, multiple documentaries, and countless news articles and events which continue to this day.

The Eureka Bar last sold in January 2002 for $8 million dollars, a record for a numismatic item at the time. It toured briefly prior to the original sale in 2002, but unfortunately was locked away for the past two decades. While the Eureka Bar has been called one of America’s National Treasures by many notable authors and historians, the public knows little of its existence. That is about to change with its international tour planned over the coming years

In today’s market, unique collectibles with significant historical provenance can capture tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of dollars. The value of old master paintings, sports collectibles, trading cards, and even valuable rare coins, depends solely on the historical value placed upon them by enthusiastic collectors and investors. Unquestioned provenance can add tremendous value to the broad sector of collectibles and rare artifacts.

Often, collectibles have little to zero intrinsic monetary value, unlike the Eureka Bar, which is a unique financial document with incomparable provenance and historical significance, made of intrinsically valuable solid gold, a universally recognized element that has been a symbol of wealth for thousands of years.

The “Eureka Bar”

• Recovered from the “Ship of Gold” (SS Central America)

• Largest existing California Gold Rush Artifact

• 1857 Assayer, Kellogg & Humbert

• Serial No. 1003

• 933. 34 Troy oz. of California Gold Rush Gold

• 1857 Value of $17,433.57

As stated, the 2002 sale of the Eureka Bar to a private collector was for a published price of $8 million. The following are other unique numismatic items which are highly regarded for their provenance, rarity, and popularity.

The 1804 U.S. Silver Dollar “Childs Specimen” sold for $4.14 million in August 1999. This same coin returned to the market in August 2021 and sold for $7.68 million.

The 1933 $20 Saint Gaudens “King Farouk of Egypt Specimen” sold for $7.59 million in 2002. It sold again in June 2021 for $18.9 million.

The 1913 Liberty Nickel “Eliasberg Specimen” sold in 1996 for $1.4 million; again in 2001 for $1.84 million; and more recently in August 2018 for $4.56 million. It was reported to have sold again in 2022 for more than $5 million.

The 1794 Silver Dollar “Specimen Proof” sold in May 2010 for $7.85 million and again in January 2013 for $10 million. It is reported to have sold privately in 2022 for $12 million.

· The 1861 $20 Liberty “Paquet” Reverse once owned by King Farouk of Egypt, one of two known was sold private treaty in 2003 for a $2 million; it sold at public sale in August 2021 for $7.2 million.

The above list is just a small number of examples of noteworthy sales and could be expanded to include many more. Additionally, there could be added collectibles from other categories that show the same, if not stronger growth over the past decades. The common thread for all these items is that they have been highly coveted by the collecting community and have historically significant provenance.

The “Eureka Bar” is not widely known outside the traditional numismatic channels, however, after decades of being involved in the public exhibition of the treasure of the SS Central America shipwreck gold and artifacts, I can attest to the allure and intrigue of the thousands of lesser valued, but interesting items recovered from the shipwreck.

This Gold Rush artifact is unique and transcends that of being a numismatic financial document made of gold.

Adam Crum, Finest Known’s President, holding the Eureka Bar 21 years apart.

The current value of this one-of-a-kind handmade document, when compared to dozens of collectible antiquities that sell regularly for $10 million, $20 million, and even more has substantial support for $10 million or greater.

Bob Evans, Chief Scientist and Historian, S.S. Central America

It is a National Treasure of substantial provenance, popularity, and historical significance. As a numismatic professional with 37 years of experience, and one who is well documented to have owned, and placed the best the market has to offer, I conservatively estimate the value of the Eureka Bar at $10-15 million using similarly interesting items.

DOWNLOAD FREE EUREKA BAR REFERENCE BROCHURES

‘California Gold Rush Monetary Ingots’

This full-color report tells the story of the California Gold Rush and the role of gold ingots in commerce. A collector’s guide to monetary ingots, richly illustrated with historical backgrounds on the Assayers and documentation on every gold ingot recovered from the ‘Ship of Gold.’ Read More…

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The $8 Million Eureka Bar’ ­

This 2002 COINage article announces the Eureka Bar as a true National Treasure, an 80-Pound Gold Rush Monetary Ingot that sank in the 1857 SS Central America Shipwreck. Adam Crum sold the assay bar in the highest-priced transaction ever carried out involving a single numismatic item. Read More…

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