Description:

Marshall, James W. (1810-1885) The rare autograph of James W. Marshall "The Discoverer of Gold," accomplished on depiction of Sutters Mill, where the Gold Rush began

His signature, "Ja's. W. Marshall," accomplished on a 5.25" x 2.75" pre-printed card featuring the "Old Sutter Mill," at left, together with the printed text: "Autograph of" and below "The Discoverer of Gold in California / January 19th, 1848." Light soiling, small tear at bottom margin does not affect text or signature, else very good.

Patrick E. McCarthy (1846-1921) was born in Killarney, Ireland. When he was three, his parents immigrated to Canada, where he served as a quartermaster's clerk in the U.S. Army in Kansas. He arrived in San Francisco in 1868 when the Gold Rush fever had begun to settle down. McCarthy began publishing The Standard and The Pathfinder and worked on the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle in the 1880s. McCarthy acquired paintings from all the major California painters from the 1870s to the turn of the century. His collection, ostensibly including this card, was the only one in San Francisco that survived the 1906 earthquake intact.

Pioneer autograph expert Charles Hamilton wrote about James W. Marshall in his definitive 1961 volume Collecting Autographs and Manuscripts: "Near the end of his long life he printed a few cards, picturing Sutter's mill, with a note about his discovery of gold."

In 2010, Spink sold a similar card for $4,125.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000