Holabird's Western Americana Auction, April 21-24 Features Hundreds Of Rare Highly Collectible Items

By Author: Fred Holabird
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Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC’s four-day Western Americana Auction begins today, April 21st, and runs through April 24th, with start times each day of 8 am Pacific time. The auction will be held online, via several platforms, as well as live in Holabird’s gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive in Reno. Hundreds of collectible lots will come up for bid.

Today’s offerings – 597 lots in all – will feature three major collecting categories: art, with just under 100 lots set to cross the auction block; Native Americana (a popular staple at Holabird auctions), featuring 65 lots; and the day’s star category - philatelic, with 52 lots of first day covers, 172 lots of postcards and 71 lots of stamps. Nearly 300 lots of philatelic will be sold.

Day 2, Friday, April 22nd, will be super-busy, with categories that include jewelry, attire, bottles, toys, circus, gaming, liquor, tobacciana, menus, the entertainment industry, sports, calendars, advertisement, autographs, photography, maps, transportation, militaria, firearms and weaponry, general Americana (geographically sorted) and miscellaneous collectibles ...
... – a total of 637 lots.

A top lot in the firearms and weaponry category is lot #2502, a trapdoor Springfield Model 1870 rifle, a full-length two-band musket of which only 1,000 were made. The model is recognized by the rear sight up against the receiver; the second model has the rear sight about one inch from the receiver. This would be a fine restoration project for a collector. It has an estimate of $300-$500.

Also offered on Day 2 is a rare, unissued Bodie Bank (Calif.) stock certificate from the 1870s. The Bodie Bank was formed in 1878. It was taken over in 1890 by JS Cain (est. $100-$200). Also, an ADLAKE (short for “Adams and Westlake”) non-sweating red and blue lens lamp, 16 inches tall, should reach $200-$300. ADLAKE did business in Chicago and Elkhart, Indiana.

Day 3, April 23rd, will also see brisk activity. The categories will include mining, fossils, minerals, tokens and numismatics (which will feature bullion, ingots, coins, currency, dies, ephemera, foreign and medals and exonumia (numismatics, but other than coins and paper money; examples are tokens, medals and scrip). All combined, Day 3 will offer 628 lots.

One of the undisputed star lots on Day 3 promises to be the US Mint San Francisco 23.06-ounce silver ingot, 999.75 fine, sizable at 2 ¼ inches by 3 ½ inches, with original Mint patina strong throughout (est. $5,000-$9,000). Also sold will be a 5-cent token for the J. F. Hope saloon in Empire, Nevada, round and made of brass, 25mm in diameter, from circa 1890 (est. $100-$200).

Day 3 will also feature numerous lots of Chinese viewing stones. For millennia, Chinese and other Asian cultures have appreciated the exquisite beauty of special stones gathered from nature. They are now widely named viewing stones by connoisseurs, collectors, and hobbyists who enjoy and share their appreciation of their simple aesthetics and sometimes fanciful beauty.

The auction’s final day, Sunday, April 24th, will contain over 600 lots, to include stocks and bonds (mining, railroad, etc.), advertising, advertising, tobacciana, 3D collectibles, toys and model railroading, photography, postcards, more philatelic, stamps, stocks, maps, general Americana and the ever-popular bargains and dealer lots, which account for 388 lots alone).

Lot 4234 is a group of seven prints by the famed Western artist Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), each one rolled up and with metal clasps on the top for wall hanging (est. $300-$400). Russell created over 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Indians and landscapes set in the Western United States and in Alberta, Canada, in addition to bronze sculptures. He was known as “the cowboy artist”.

Also offered on Day 4 is a group of six vintage Auto Club of Southern California maps, for Bishop, Mina, Mono County, Tonopah and Goldfield (est. $70-$120); as well as a collection of around 350 colorful labels for large cans (jams, cherries, oats, salmon, pumpkin, figs, pears, apples, macaroni, etc.), about 5 inches by 20 inches each and great for framing (est. $250-$400).

Online bidding via iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com.

The full catalog can be viewed online now, at www.holabirdamericana.com. For those planning to attend the auction in person, regulations and protocols regarding COVID-19 will be enforced.

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. The company has agents all over America and will travel to inspect most collections.

To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections and the four-day Western Americana Auction that runs from April 21st thru April 24th, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted often.