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Presentation Silver Ingot. Undated (circa 1860s-1870s). DOWNYBROOK/ LEDGE. in two lines on the face. N. BAROVICH/ TO/ CARLOTA.CASTRO in three lines on the back. The ingot itself measures 64.5mm wide, 20.5mm tall, 10.5mm deep, 156g = 5.015 troy ounces pure silver. A presentation piece. Unique.
From the Alexander Christopher Collection. Ex Chas. H. Fisher (7 December 1935), lot 162.
Nicholas Barovich, a pioneer resident of San Jose, California, was born on 31 December 1830 in Dalmatia, then part of the Austrian empire, now part of the Republic of Croatia. “Big Nick,” as he was known, was a 6-feet, 4-inch “giant” according to a local history article published in the San Francisco Examiner on 8 May 1979 (p.58) about Yugoslavians in early San Francisco. He emigrated from Janjina, near Dubrovnik, in 1849, and “made more money running a general merchandise store than panning gold.” By 1857 he owned two bars in San Francisco, the Constitution Saloon and the Sebastopol on the corner of Davis and Sansome streets. In 1864 he married Dolores Castro, a member of an old and prominent Spanish pioneer family from Alta California, after which they moved to Austin, Nevada during the silver boom and opened a bar and restaurant named the San Francisco Coffee Stand. Nicholas also operated saloons in Austin–Barovich’s Saloon and Shooting Gallery, the Alhambra, and Sazerac. After the silver boom, Nicholas and his family moved to San Jose in 1881, and lived there until his death on 2 June 1897.
One of Dolores Castro’s sisters was named Carlota Castro. This silver ingot was personalized and presented from N. (Nicholas) Barovich to his sister-in-law Carlota Castro.
The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 129 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 13-14 May 2025. This lot is in Session Three, which will begin 14 May at 9 AM ET.
Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.
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