The assayers’ ingots recovered in 2014 from the SS Central America contain geochemical signatures and anomalies which convey information about the culture of miners and assayers in the late 1850s. A significant number of ingots (21%) contain elevated copper and zinc in the same ratio as a common brass alloy of the period, suggesting that adulteration of placer gold dust was a common issue. The ingots with the brass-like signature also have a gold fineness much lower than measured for typical California placer gold. Trace elements like palladium in uniform concentrations in all Kellogg & Humbert ingots suggest the use of quality high-temperature tools, while lead and tin in all ingots suggest specific contamination and industrial hygiene issues common to the whole industry. Other trace constituents such as arsenic, antimony and bismuth are likely to have originated from dense minerals associated with placer gold, or from the natural placer gold alloy itself. Comparison of modern analysis of ingots vs. assay values stamped on the ingots themselves suggests some firms like Kellogg & Humbert did superior assay work, while others like the San Francisco office of Justh & Hunter probably had issues with quality control. The variations in assay ingot alloy chemistry provide a window into this important period in American history.

分析人员的锭于2014年从中美洲SS回收包含地球化学特征和异常特征，这些特征和异常特征传达了有关1850年代后期矿工和测定人员文化的信息。大量的锭（21％）中所含的铜和锌的含量与该时期的普通黄铜合金相同，这表明掺入砂金是常见的问题。具有黄铜样特征的铸锭的金纯度也比典型的加利福尼亚砂金低。所有凯洛格和汉伯特铸锭中的痕量元素（如钯）的浓度均相同，这建议使用优质的高温工具，而所有铸锭中的铅和锡则表明整个行业普遍存在的特定污染和工业卫生问题。其他微量成分，例如砷，锑和铋可能源自与砂金有关的致密矿物，或天然砂金合金本身。铸锭现代分析比较铸锭本身上标明的vs.化验值表明，像凯洛格＆亨伯特（Kellogg＆Humbert）这样的公司进行了出色的化验工作，而诸如Justh＆Hunter旧金山办事处的其他公司则可能存在质量控制问题。分析锭合金化学的变化为了解美国历史上的这一重要时期提供了一个窗口。