New Mexico Mineral Symposium — Abstracts

An article from the Aspen Democrat-Times newspaper of August 1909 described the kit as follows: “There were big and tiny hammers, all kinds of candlesticks, some to shut up and carry in the pocket, prospector’s picks, etc., and all handwork and made of polished steel.”

Mr. Bray had been foreman of blacksmiths at the Mollie Gibson mine in Aspen, Colorado, and was on his way to Ely, Nevada, at the time of the newspaper article. In 2009 the kit surfaced to the collecting community, and the presentation provides detailed photographs of the kit and the somewhat meager information known about Mr. Bray. The workmanship shown in the items is nothing short of superb and way beyond typical blacksmith work. For those of us that collect miner’s candlesticks this kit could well be the ultimate mining collectible!