John Reed was an assayer in San Bernardino, outside of Los Angeles, an area known for its placer mining. Reed was listed in directories of the area as an assayer in 1880 and 1881. Very little is known of John Reed or of his work as an assayer. There is a large 3 ounce gold ingot that has been discovered, but the bar's attention to detail suggests that it would have been prepared for a centennial celebration. We included the following description in Stack's Treasures from the S.S. New York sale:

Many gold and silver specimens, largely from the "Centennial State" of Colorado, were shown, ranging from unfinished ore to carefully assayed specimens. This ingot is of the same ilk, made as a tiny triumph from California's still active gold fields. It shows bright yellow gold surfaces, excellent symmetry, and only light hairlines and evidence of handling. Placer gold is gold that, rather than being dug, is found in sand, gravel, or washes; this was the first sort of mining done in California. These sorts of deposits were found in southern California well before the initial 1849 gold rush; some are still worked today.