1892 El Dorado Gold Mining Company Stock Certificate
DESCRIPTION
This late nineteenth-century stock certificate was issued by the El Dorado Gold Mining Company, incorporated under the laws of Illinois for mining properties in California’s Grass Valley district. It represents part of a $2,000,000 capital stock issue, divided into 200,000 shares valued at ten dollars each, reflecting sustained Midwestern investment in Western hard-rock gold mining well after the initial Gold Rush era.
The certificate is engraved on cream security paper with a finely patterned border and bold central title, and bears an embossed corporate seal, period signatures, and manuscript notations. Notably, the certificate remains physically attached by a nail to a contemporary collateralized promissory note dated Chicago, indicating that the shares were pledged as security for a loan. This method of attachment served to restrict transfer and enforce the collateral agreement, transforming the certificate from a passive investment record into an active financial instrument.
Historical Context
Grass Valley was one of California’s most productive hard-rock gold districts, attracting sustained investment long after the Gold Rush era. Companies like El Dorado Gold Mining Company illustrate how Eastern and Midwestern capital continued to fund Western mining operations into the 1890s. Certificates such as this serve as tangible records of industrial-scale gold extraction, speculative finance, and the long afterlife of California mining enterprise.
CONDITION
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