The Rest of the Story: The Remarkable Nevada Revenue-Stamped Water Lease and its Extraordinary Backstories
March 1870 lease, Virginia City, Nevada, by Virginia & Gold Hill Water Co. to W. S. Hobart, of water from Gold Canyon at or near discharge of Trench Mill, Silver City, rent $100 per month for five years: U.S. $15 tax paid by $5 Charter Party (x3) Nevada $2.50 tax paid by $1 roulette 10 pair plus 25¢ roulette 18 pair Sole recorded example of Nevada’s Lease stamp tax, illustrating the unintended discrepancy between U.S. and Nevada rates, fortunately magnified by five-fold errors in figuring the tax! Sole recorded 25¢ roulette 18 multiple on document. This exhibit describes a philatelically extraordinary 1870 water lease made at Virginia City, commercial center of Nevada’s fabled Comstock Lode, and explains its multi-layered backstory, not merely in words, but via an array of documents, each philatelically and/or historically significant in its own right. Together they describe the ambitious project of lumber and mining magnate Walter Ho...