Actually, four precious metal spikes were used in the ceremony: two golden, one silver, and one of an alloy of gold, silver, and iron. But the real final spike was an ordinary iron one, which was rigged to automatically send a telegram as it was driven in, letting the world know that the railroad was complete. Except that it didn't work, and the telegram was sent by hand.
The silver spike and one of the gold ones, as well as the silver hammer with which they were driven, may be (http://cprr.org/Museum/Golden_Spike_Missing.html) in the Stanford museum. The gold-silver-iron spike has disappeared. But the second golden spike, which was sponsored by the San Francisco News Letter (http://cprr.org/Museum/Newspapers/SF_Newsletter_1869.html) was taken by a Chrononaut (http://wunderland.com/LooneyLabs/EAC/Default.html) on 18-Apr-1906, from the News Letter offices, just before the building was destroyed in the earthquake and subsequent fire.
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winterfish
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Date: 2005-05-10 03:47 pm (UTC)The silver spike and one of the gold ones, as well as the silver hammer with which they were driven, may be (http://cprr.org/Museum/Golden_Spike_Missing.html) in the Stanford museum. The gold-silver-iron spike has disappeared. But the second golden spike, which was sponsored by the San Francisco News Letter (http://cprr.org/Museum/Newspapers/SF_Newsletter_1869.html) was taken by a Chrononaut (http://wunderland.com/LooneyLabs/EAC/Default.html) on 18-Apr-1906, from the News Letter offices, just before the building was destroyed in the earthquake and subsequent fire.