Ext. Rare Michigan Smelting & Refining Co. Copper Ingot & MSRC Letterhead -Tesla

Description

Up for sale is an EXTREMELY RARE and ONE-OF-A-KIND
antique Michigan Smelting and Refining (MSRC) copper ingot as well as an original, authentic MSRC memo from 1917 typed on original MSRC letterhead which features a beautiful illustration of the MSRC industrial facilities as well as an intriguing "MSR Metals" logo that features a 3-lobed copper ingot.  The copper ingot was a presentation / recognition gift to Alexander Taylor and is engraved on the bottom..."Alex Taylor".
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
(as provided by former owner of copper ingot and long-time Michigan Copper Country historical researcher)
In 1882 Thomas Edison began using direct current to power the streets of New York City. The first electric street cars were just being introduced. In 1883 Nikola Tesla built the first alternating current transformer. Nicola Tesla won the battle when President Grover Cleveland pushed a button and lit 100,000 electric light bulbs at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Over 27,000,000 people attended the fair, most had never before seen electric lighting.
The Michigan Smelting & Refining Company of Detroit which was established in 1893 with
John Schroeder (born 1860) as it's first company president.  T
his copper ingot that is up for sale is an early, crudely cast presentation / recognition ingot from Michigan Smelting & Refining Company of Detroit, Michigan.
The information we obtained from the former owner of this ingot was that it
was presented to Alexander Taylor during a company "opening" ceremony.
Albeit we cannot substantiate this fact at this point, we were told that
Nikola Tesla
was not only an event attendee at this ceremony but that he was the individual who
presented Alexander Taylor with this copper ingot
!!!  If an event brochure had been created for this opening ceremony and could be found, than it could be irrefutably proven whether Tesla himself handled this ingot!  What an incredible and priceless piece of American history!
The ingot is stamped on the bottom with his name. Alexander Taylor, born 1853, was one of the founders of Edmonton, Canada, where he established the first telegraph, telephone and electricity systems. In 1891 he co-founded the Edmonton Electric Light Company.
The Michigan Smelting and Refining Company operated under (or in conjunction with) the infamous Copper Range Company during the earliest of the 1900s and
supplied vast quantities of metal including brass for shell casings to the United States military during World War I.  CRC shipped it's copper ore to MSRC for smelting & refining until the Michigan Smelter in Hancock was finally built.
The copper ingot measures approximately
3 3/4 inches by 1 1/4 inches and weighs approximately 14 oz.
The accompanying memo dates back to January, 1917 and was typed on original, authentic Michigan Smelting & Refining Company letterhead.
We consider this MSRC copper ingot and accompanying MSRC memo an historical treasure, particularly in light of its unique, one-of-a-kind status and intrinsic historical value.  Therefore, we are starting it at an opening bid that reflects its rarity and importance. Truly a museum piece!