Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

HOLABIRD WESTERN AMERICANA COLLECTIONS’ 3-DAY AMERICANA AUCTION, AUGUST 24th-26th, WILL FEATURE MORE THAN 2,100 LOTS IN MANY CATEGORIES

The auction will be held online and in Holabird’s gallery, at 3555 Airway Dr. (Ste. 308) in Reno.

RENO, Nev. – Holabird Western Americana Collections’ upcoming Americana auction, planned for August 24th-26th, marks the start of a summer-fall-winter season brimming with a number of major collections. The August event will be held online and in Holabird’s gallery at 3555 Airway Drive (Suite 308) in Reno – over 2,100 lots in all – beginning at 8 am Pacific time all three days.

For those unable to attend the sale in person, online bidding will be facilitated by iCollector.com, Invaluable.com, eBay Live and Auctionzip.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

Day 1, on Friday, August 24th, will feature 14 lots of gaming collectibles, 13 saloon collectibles, 121 lots of rare vintage and antique bottles, 201 lots of tokens and 387 lots of numismatic items, to include bank bags, coins, books, checks, ingots, medals, mint and proof coin sets, “so-called” dollars, scales, currency, scrip, commemoratives and ephemera – a total of 740 lots for the day.

Leading the numismatics category will be possibly the only existing large Rothchild & Sons silver ingot (966 fine, 1098.3 troy ounces), with the Rothchild & Son hallmark and 1935 date stamp (est. $25,000-$35,000); and a spectacular commemorative medallion collection from the Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mining Company (Colorado), comprising ten one-half ounce solid gold medallions from various years and a large gold-silver medallion (est. $7,000-$10,000).

Also expected to generate keen bidder interest is a proof one-ounce gold 1994 Chinese Unicorn Yuan coin, one of fewer than 1,000 minted, in the original velvet-lined box, with an engraved unicorn on the cover and a certificate of authenticity (est. $5,000-$6,150). A star lot of the tokens category promises to be a hoard of nearly 60 copper-appearing metal tokens, all from the Nevada Club in Reno and the Nevada Lodge in Lake Tahoe, from the Gillio Hoard (est. $1,000-$1,500).

An original oil painting on canvas advertising Moon Castle Whiskey (saying “Now served here at Tombstone’s own Birdcage Theater”), beautifully housed in a 22 ½ inch by 27 inch frame, a fantasy piece meant to attract patrons to Western saloons, should reach $1,500-$2,500. Also, a Union Soda Works (Tombstone, Ariz.) medium aqua bottle, clean and sparkling, with an applied top, some whittle, no pontil and a little lip damage in the back, has an estimate of $700-$1,500.

Day 2, on Saturday, August 25th, will contain 112 lots of cowboy collectibles, 64 lots of firearms and weaponry, 63 lots of militaria, 19 general foreign lots and more than 450 lots of general Americana, to include advertising items, bonds, books, entertainment industry, Gold Rush, lamps, glassware and flatware, jewelry and watches, sheet music, tools and vintage apparel.

Two very different lots that day carry identical estimates of $5,000-$10,000. One is the actual Winchester model 1892 44-40 rifle that belonged to Capt. Guillermo “Flores” Reyes, a member of Poncho Villa’s legendary Revolutionary Army, with solid provenance. The other is a lovely Daum Nancy Art Nouveau classic cased vase, 11 inches tall, with a carved black Oriental poppy exterior design and a nice violet and magenta base. The circa 1900 vase is marked Daum Nancy.

Who’s more famous, Marilyn Monroe or Harry Houdini? Answer: both. A stock certificate for the Houdini Picture Corporation, Inc., issued for five shares to Carrie S. Rich in 1921 and signed by Houdini himself as president of the company, should fetch $2,000-$3,000; while an original page from Marilyn Monroe’s personal script for the 1956 movie Bus Stop, a limited edition, #47 of 124, accompanied by a black and white photo of Monroe, framed, should hit $1,000-$2,000.

Day 3, on Sunday, August 26th, will be packed with 260 lots of mining collectibles, 19 mineral specimen lots, 46 lots of railroadiana, 15 lots of Wells Fargo & Express, 11 lots of postal history, 15 lots of political memorabilia, 10 lots of World’s Fair and Expositions, 12 lots of artwork, 67 lots of Native Americana and 127 lots of what Holabird is calling bargains and dealer specials.

An impressive gold and diamond necklace boasting 24 small gold nuggets (1.11 ozt) and one large gold nugget (1.91 ozt), set with a .5 carat round cut diamond on a 22-inch gold chain with a double clasp, has a pre-sale estimate of $6,500-$8,500. Also, a mid-19th century gold in quartz aesthetic native gold specimen from northern Sierra Nevada in Nevada County, California, featuring a leaf gold in quartz matrix with associated pyrite crystals, should bring $3,600-$5,400.

Two original paintings by the famed California artist Andrew Putnam Hill (1853-1922) will come up for bid. One is a pastel colors on board work titled Cupid and Woman, an allegorical use of Cupid showing a protectionary kiss, housed in a 16 ½ inch by 26 inch gold leaf frame (est. $7,500-$12,500). The other is a gouache depiction of a reclining nude, also housed in a gold leaf frame measuring 17 inches by 29 inches (est. $5,000-$7,500). Both paintings appear unsigned.

A colorful painting showing a wide array of characters in a saloon setting by Utah artist Arnold Friberg (1913-2010) has an estimate of $1,000-$2,000. In 1977, Friberg was commissioned by the Gold Nugget Casino in Las Vegas to make a series of saloon-related paintings. This one is signed and numbered (795/1500). Also, a weekly register overland mail document for the Pony Express, dated 1861 (from St. Joseph, Mo., to Placerville, Calif.) should reach $1,500-$3,000.

The collections that will be spread out over the course of several seasons and multiple auctions at Holabird are many and varied. They include the Medallic Arts/Northwest Territorial Mint Reference Ingot Collection, the James Mackie Art & Western Americana Collection, the R.B. Worthington Texas Token Collection and the Ken Prag American Stock Certificate Collection.

“The Prag collection of American stock certificates is inarguably the highlight of the fall and winter sales,” said Fred Holabird of Holabird Western Americana Collections, adding, “One of every stock he ever handled is in the collection, untouched and unpicked. As usual, we’re also offering a wide variety of his duplicate material in the dealer/bargain section of the catalogs.”

Additional collections will include the Falcone Medal Collection (now thru October), more of the Hawaii Numismatic Collection, the Daniel Manassillian collection of tokens and Americana, cowboy collectibles from three collections (spurs, saddles, saddle bags, etc), antique bottles from the Rod Stock and other collections, and the Jim Clark collection of entertainment collectibles.

Color catalogs are available by calling 1-844-492-2766, or 775-851-1859. Also, anyone owning a collection that might fit into an upcoming Holabird Western Americana Collections auction is encouraged to get in touch. The firm travels extensively throughout the U.S., to see and pick up collections. Last year it visited Boston, Florida, Seattle and New York, among other destinations.

Holabird Western Americana is always seeking quality bottle, advertising, Americana and coin consignments for future auctions. To consign a single piece or a collection, you may call Fred Holabird at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766; or, you can e-mail him at [email protected]. To learn more about Holabird Western Americana’s August 24-26 auction, visit www.fhwac.com

Original page from Marilyn Monroe’s personal script for the 1956 movie Bus Stop, a limited edition #47 of 124, with a black and white photo of Monroe, framed (est. $1,000-$2,000).