Gold Claim tag???

So I found this in my local coin stores token bin and I need some help. Not even they were 100% on what it was. If anyone can give me an idea of what it is it would be fantastic!

 

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Weight ?

 

I don't have a proper scale but just handling it, I would say a tab bit under a new half dollar

 

I can't read it, do you know what it says?

 

Looks like lead??

 

In earlier times, miners could claim an area for underground resources by surrounding an area with stakes and a written claim on the stake. Today tags are very formalized. The Tag seems to read Gold...Discovered..C???????...1848.

Would be very hard to authenticate I would think. In recent years, diamonds miner in Canada used helicopters and devices to embed stakes into the ground from the air when it was too difficult to do it on ground, which I suspect was not entirely following the rules. Looks hand made and nail hole looks too round for the period. But just perception.

 

True. Back there there was really no such thing as round holes, all nails were square. Round nails did not come into being until industrial wire manufacturers started. Before then, nails were handmade at the blacksmith, and a round nail would have been much more expensive to make that square.

 

On the obverse i see gold discovered colonia if that helps
and reverse mother lode toinway

 

Perhaps this will explain it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonia_(United_States)

Chris

 

As far as I can read it doesn't say "Colonia". It says "Coloma". And no one has talked about the other side. Any thoughts anyone?

 

And there actually is a Coloma, CA. Would make sense

 

With the odd nail hole, and the fact I know early western items have been heavily counterfeited, I believe you would need to have such an item authenticated by an expert firm to realize much value. Maybe send in a picture of it to Heritage or Christie's, as I believe they may have experts in this area. I used to know such an expert, but he passed away a few years ago.

 

Thatnks medoraman! I will have to ask around and see if there is anyone that specializes near me and then I will contact Heritage.

And I starred at the "coin" for a few minutes. I am officially stating that this says "Gold Discovered Coloma 1848 / Mother Lode Highway

 

It might be authentic but not of the period. Around the turn of the century I believe many places that were of historical importance started getting marked for tourists, etc. This item might have been made after the fact, but still an old original item nonetheless. Its just really complicated. I have read parts of the Oregon Trail were marked around the turn of the century with markers. These aren't "original" markers, in that there were no such things, but they are old and were not made to fool collectors, so therefor are collectible.

I am simply speaking from limited experience though sir. I do hope an auction firm can help you out, and hope its a keeper!

 

http://www.comspark.com/chronicles/mines.htm

this might give an indication. from google colima mother lode highway. True , it might be real, but the odds are for a relatively modern replica. Good luck.

 

I seriously doubt they had sharpie's in 1848.

 

From Wiki.......

"A post office was established in 1849 under the name Culloma, changing to Coloma in 1851."

Based on this, I think that this tag might be a modern replica.

Chris

 

I've come across a lot of mine claims in my ramblings around the desert, but have honestly never seen one like that. Like Jim mentioned, most times it was a written claim, but often just on one quadrant. The other corners were marked with stakes with a metal tag. But all those tags I've come across display a number, I'm assuming the claim number, and nothing else. You can still go into claim records and look these numbers up today, even for claims hundreds of years old.

 

Maybe it's a souvenir? Did you ask the store where and when they got it?

I'd still have an expert on mining or the gold rush in general check it out for a certain answer. To me, the handwriting being written on with marker, and not engraved, plus the style looking like an elementary school kid wrote it, I'd say it's not from the 1800's.

There is a place in Coloma that teaches about the 1800's and the gold rush there to 4th grade school students. It went into business in 1990. "Coloma Outdoor Discovery School".

I found the following on eBay Australia. Same gold spraypaint, same Sharpie marker.

 

Not sure why everyone thinks this is marked with sharpie. It's not. It looks like it may have been inscribed by a piece of black rock. It is indented where the writing is. Any other ideas anyone?