"The Last Golden Spike"

                              As displayed at the California Railroad Museum 

One day in the spring of 2005 my friend Katrina, the owner of an antique business that used to house my modest jewelry shop, pulled me aside as soon as I walked into the shop.  She was so excited I could tell she was about to burst.

“I want to show you something.”  Usually she shows me a piece of jewelry she scored at a garage sale, something she picked up for a couple of dollars, that turns out to be genuine gold, diamonds or such.  She wants me to assess a price, being aware of what the market for jewelry is.  She does not want to incorrectly price the item.  We are a good team.

I saw her go to her briefcase and pull out a crumpled paper bag.  My eyebrows rose, then even further when she reached in and pulled out what appeared to be an old white t-shirt, wadded up.  As I watched she began to strip it off, unceremoniously rolling out a dirty, object about ten inches long and looking very much like an old railroad spike.

“Do you know what this is?” She asked as she handed it over.

I took it, admittedly surprised at the weight of it.  Yes, I knew.  “Sure, it’s a railroad spike.”  I was not too unimpressed because I used to have a few I sold for a few bucks each.  They are not uncommon to see in antique stores.

“Look closer.”  She said.

“Um...need my glasses.”  

Hm-m-m.   Upon closer inspection I saw it was not the typical spike; it appeared to have a golden gleam in spots and...wait, was that engraving?  I looked up at Katrina.   She was smiling with a definite sparkle in her blue eyes.  Her voice got low, and serious, even so  I sensed her excitement.

“I’m doing some research on it.”  She is very thorough even though I had no idea why it needed researching.  After a few moments I understood her excitement.

“Would you mind taking it home to your husband and asking him what it would be worth if it is what I think?”

“Okay, but I can’t do it until tonight.  Is it ok to keep overnight?”

“Yes, but don’t clean it off, I’m pretty sure it’s gold.” 

“No problem.”  I took it home with me.

                                                                     *** 

“Do you realize if this is what she’s thinking it is a true piece of American History?”  He says while holding the spike underneath a magnifying glass, reading incredulously, the inscriptions.

“Tell me why.”  I do not profess to be knowledgeable in history but my husband is, so we embarked on a little research of our own.

It seems on May 10, 1869, the Last Spike of the Transcontinental Railroad was ceremonially driven into a polished California Laurel railroad crosstie at Promontory, Utah.  David Hewes – who later became the brother-in-law to the President of the Central Pacific Railroad and former California Governor Leland Stanford, presented it.  This symbolic final spike captured America’s imagination. Never before in American history had such a simple object won universal recognition as a national icon.

Cast by renowned San Francisco bell foundry W. T. Garrett & Co. in 1869, the Last Spike and an identical twin were given some finishing touches by the firm of Schulz, Fischer and Mohrig.

The original Schulz invoice of May 4, 1869, is held in the archives of Stanford University. It itemizes;  “Finishing 2 Gold Spikes, Engraving 381 letters at 4 Cts,” and “1 Velvet Box.”  One of these spikes then traveled to Promontory, Utah, in the care of Leland Stanford. Returned to its donor after the ceremonies, the Last Spike was presented to Leland Stanford Jr. University in 1892 by David Hewes, along with his considerable art collection.

The Last Spike remains at Stanford to this day. It has traveled offsite for very special occasions, including visits to the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento.

Until recently, very few people (historians included) were aware of a “lost” golden spike that was cast as part of the original order for the golden “Last Spike” of Transcontinental Railroad fame.”

“Where did she get this?”  He asked.

“A regular customer at the shop brought it in.  He told Katrina she could (maybe) put this up for auction on eBay, so of course she began to research it.”

My husband said, “I think this is the real deal.  How much of the commission will she get to keep?”

"Why?" 

“Because if she will throw it in, I’ll put up the rest of the money and we can be partners in owning it.”  I would tell her the next day when I returned it to her.

Understandably she wanted to research it further, even going so far as to send it in for an appraisal to Butterfield and Butterfield for an appraisal/opinion.  They held on to it for ages, making her nervous, and suspicious enough to keep on them to return it.  They finally valued it for auction at around $6,000.  We were sure they had grossly underestimated the value. 

She kept on researching, especially since we also were given some additional related memorabilia.  The customer was the grandson of the grand niece to David Hewes.  He and his sister were adopted.  They had grown up with the “spike” on different relatives’ mantels.  Finally, when his grandmother passed, he was cleaning out the basement when he found the “Lost Golden Spike”, it’s place in history long forgotten about in the family.  He also had a framed drawing of the ceremony accompanied by hand-written documentation.

After contacting the experts, they descended upon our shop.  It was a remarkable sight as they ceremoniously arrived, complete with white gloves carrying a specially, built-to-the-exact measurements, foam-lined, locking briefcase.  Their job was to examine and possibly take the unassuming spike back for testing.

Apparently the “other” (our) golden spike was quietly held for 136 years by the Hewes family and their descendants. Historians had assumed that the “Two Gold Spikes” being referenced in the Schulz, Fischer and Mohrig invoice were really just one.  The inconsistency explained away by the “sprue,”  or excess metal attached to the spike casting that was – in the case of the Last Spike – broken off and melted down into commemorative rings and tiny spike keepsakes.

In the spring of 2005 the fifth-generation descendants of David Hewes decided to place the Hewes Family Lost Spike and other items on consignment with a Southern California dealer, our antique store.

Colleagues from the Smithsonian Institution, and in research discussions had tipped off the California State Railroad Museum so intense negotiations ensued. The Lost Spike – complete with its distinguishing casting sprue still attached – was acquired by the Museum in November 2005.  The Lost Spike, truly an American icon, is now permanently displayed at the Museum. “

To conclude my story about it, PBS television ran a half hour tv show that showed “our” spike on display, and at one point the host (in white gloves, holding it for a few seconds) said, “This is as important to American History as The Liberty Bell”.  We looked at each other knowing we had been afforded the opportunity to hold it without gloves before it was cleaned up and unveiled to the public.  

We never were part owner; Katrina declined our offer and took her commission only after the sale to the Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento.  We are thrilled to have been a part of the initial discovery and for her dedication to the research on behalf of the consignor, finally verifying the finding of a national treasure.