Holabird Greeted May With A Huge, 2,400-lot 'mint State' Americana & Numismatics Auction, May 2-5

By Author: Fred Holabird
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Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC officially ushered in the month of May with a four-day “Mint State” Americana & Numismatics Auction held May 2nd thru May 5th. The first three days were live sessions, held online and live in the Reno gallery. May 5th was a timed-only session; bids could be placed online, in-person or over the phone with an agent.

The auction featured over 2,400 lots in multiple collecting categories, including numismatics (coins, medals, tokens and US Mint ephemera), bottles, mining, minerals, Native Americana, general Americana, toys, militaria, railroadiana, art, stocks and more. Internet bidding was facilitated by iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com.

The overall top lot of the four days happened on Day 3, with the sale of the three-page, handwritten last will and testament of David Rittenhouse (1732-1796), an astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, surveyor, mathematician, treasurer of the state of Pennsylvania (1777-1789) and first director of the United States Mint (1792-1795). The document gaveled for $8,437.

All prices quoted include ...
... the buyer’s premium.

Not far behind, also on Day 3, was a group of previously unseen letters from Dahlonega (Ga.) Branch Mint Superintendent Julius Patton to Jonathan Slocum, regarding Patton's investment and guidance regarding copper mines they owned at Ducktown, Tenn. The letters were dated July 19, 1854; Feb. 8, 1855; July 12, 1855; Sept. 13, 1855; and Dec 15, 1855. The group brought $7,500.

Another star lot, from Day 1, was the late 1800s optical illusion ‘triple’ metal sign for the Brown Shoe Company that hung inside Crescenzo Dry Goods, a business once located in the town of Austin, Nevada, which operated from 1868-1921. The unique design of the 55 inch by 12 ½ inch sign meant it showed different messages when seen from different angles. It was bid to $7,812.

Day 1, on May 2nd, contained 558 lots, featuring bottles (to include examples from the Polak collection); stocks and bonds; and general Americana, to include geographic sort featuring John Muir, maps and books, gaming, general store and furnishings, and miscellaneous categories.

For those unfamiliar, John Muir was the famed 19th century American conservationist known as the “Father of National Parks” and the author of several books on nature. A partial letter written by Muir at a pivotal time (1872) in his professional career and composed in Yosemite Valley, the most important setting in his life, expressing his theological and ecological worldview, hit $531.

A cowboy-themed calendar from 1954 from the Golden Bank Casino in Reno, Nevada, showing a “Harold’s Club”-style cowgirl graphic, 19 inches by 37 inches, nicely framed and in fine-plus condition, changed hands for $3,500. Also, a small color map rendered circa 1685 showing California as an island (“Isle de Californie”), an original copper engraving with later hand-coloring from AM Mallett, 6 ½ inches by 4 ½ inches (map, less the frame), realized $3,000.

A Wells Fargo Express waybill receipt book from 1889 for Carson City, Nevada, containing shipments of nearly everything imaginable, as the Carson City office was the central shipping place involving the Comstock mines, achieved $2,250. Also, stock certificate No. 31, for the Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway (in Marin County, Calif.), issued to Ralston L. White for 50 shares in 1914, signed by the railway’s president and secretary, not cancelled, garnered $531.

Day 2, on May 3rd, featured 542 lots of Native Americana; cowboy collectibles; militaria, weaponry and political items; minerals (including fossils and gold specimens); mining (including assay, ephemera and artifacts); and art. One of the top achievers was a Nevada County (Calif.) gold nugget, an old family piece, 41mm long, 1.154 ounces and weighing 36 grams ($3,500).

A museum-quality beaded Nez Perce collar drape, measuring about 35 inches by 18 inches and made from buckskin, pillow ticking and glass beads, knocked down for $3,250. It was an older piece but held up well with little or no bead loss. Also, an antique Lion blasting machine in a well-worn wooden case, with a plunger that operated smoothly, 13 inches tall, went for $937.

A native crystalline gold in quartz specimen from Timmins, Ontario – Canada’s richest gold region, the city having been founded in 1911 – finished at $3,000. The 65mm by 50mm by 32mm tall piece contained 26.8 grams of gold. Also, a framed display with over 50 Paleo points and over 70 beads from the Southwestern U.S. states, with a spectacular axe head center made of Texas plateau chert, mounted on purple velvet trade cloth, 15 inches by 27 inches, made $625.

Day 3, on May 4th, showcased 542 lots of transportation (including automotive, headlined by a car vase collection, as well as aviation, railroadiana, stage and steamship); vintage toys; and numismatic, featuring the Fred Weinberg Collection and including currency, US Mint, ephemera, ingots and bullion, coins (gold, Morgan dollars and coppers), medals and tokens.

A 26-inch necklace boasting a U.S. Liberty Head 1896-S $20 gold piece in Fine-Extra Fine condition, in bezel, topped out at $3,625. Also, a .999 silver ingot weighing 1 kilogram (or 2.2 pounds / 32.15 troy oz.), probably made in 1980 or 1981 by one of the two or three Reno foundries as an embossed gaming prize from the Riverside Hotel & Casino, achieved $1,375.

Two very different lots realized identical selling prices of $937. One was a small trapezoidal gold ingot turned upside down on a gold ring, stamped 14kt 30 and Gold Shell inside, weighing 9.6 grams total weight and the ring a size 7. The other was an original 1936 York County, Maine mint bag tag from the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, for $1,000 in commemorative half dollars. The #10 bag was originally from the estate of Walter Nichols, the distributor of the York half dollars.

Day 4, May 5th, wrapped things up with 779 lots of minerals and mining, bottles from the Polak collection, general Americana and numismatics. Holabird’s next sale will be held this summer.

To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections and the firm’s calendar of upcoming auctions, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted frequently.

About Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC:
Anyone owning a collection that might fit into a Holabird Western Americana Collections auction is encouraged to get in touch. The company has agents all over America and will travel to inspect most worthy collections To consign a single piece or a collection, you may call Fred Holabird at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766; or, send an e-mail to fredholabird@gmail.com. To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections and the firm’s calendar of upcoming auctions, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted frequently.