RENO, NEV.- Everything good about summer collectibles mining artifacts, all elements of Western history, manuscript archives, antique bottles and marbles, rare stocks and bonds, gold, numismatics and much more will be packed into Holabird Western Americana Collections five-day, 4,000-lot Americana Auction, planned for Thursday thru Monday, July 11th to 15th.
The auction will be held online and in Holabirds gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive (Suite #308) in Reno. Start times each day are 8 am Pacific time. Previews will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, July 9th-10th, from 10 am-5 pm. To schedule a private preview call 775-851-1859.
For those unable to attend the sale in person, online bidding will be facilitated by iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, AuctionMobility.com and Auctionzip.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted. For details on how to bid, please visit
www.fhwac.com.
With 4,000 lots in a wide array of categories, bidders will have plenty of material to look over, said Fred Holabird of Holabird Western Americana Collections. Dont forget the search box for the Virtual Catalog on our website. It helps folks find things they want in a hurry. But theres nothing like surfing through the catalog to find all sorts of neat items they hadnt thought about.
The manuscript archives include that of a Mormon family and their trials and tribulations over several decades, from Nauvoo to Salt Lake and back to the East Coast; an archive from Nevada engineer John Heizer; a scrapbook from promoter Tex Rickard; early Arizona military letters; a pair of 1860s maps showing the exact locations of original abodes in Los Angeles; and more.
Mining collectibles, to be spread out over Days 3 and 4, will feature more than a dozen ore cars. And an ornately engraved presentation silver chalice from Grass Valley a must-have for any mining or California collector. Antique and vintage bottles will include many examples from California and Nevada, as well as a rare ceramic series of cat house decanters split up by region.
A marble collection will be offered along with the bottles on Day 2. The Western Art section, on Day 1, is huge, with art in every category. Old stocks and bonds will feature a Chinese bond collection; Arizona material (including 1850s Sopori and 1860s Gold MC, Picacho); and from California the Bear River piece that preceded the Tuolumne stock, with a nice mining vignette.
Numismatics, on Day 2, will have a little of everything related to coins and currency, with lots of scrip, tokens, medals and two fabulous gold fakes (one was unknown, the other well published). Theres also a great strong box to put it all in. The gold will feature high-grade ore specimens from two major collections (Heizer, mostly Nevada-Calif.; and Pollock, mostly Alaska, Utah).
Day 1, Thursday, July 11th (lots 1000-1776) will contain Part I of General Americana, plus apparel, jewelry, art, furnishings and décor, Native Americana, general foreign collectibles, sports, entertainment industry collectibles, music-related lots, political and military collectibles.
The General Americana on Day 1 can be broken down into the following categories: advertising, badges, belt buckles, breweriana and tobacciana, circus collectibles, fire-related, Gold Rush, license plates, locks and keys, microscopes, scales, tools, toys, dolls and miscellaneous items.
Day 2, Friday, July 12th (lots 2000-2670) will comprise Part II of General Americana (sorted by geography). Categories will include bottles, brothel, cowboy, gaming, saloon, tokens, weaponry, numismatics and marbles.
Day 3, Saturday, July 13th (lots 3000-3855) will be dedicated to minerals and Part I of mining collectibles (California-Nevada). Mining Part II (New Jersey to the end) will be offered on Day 4, Sunday, July 14th (lots 4000-4808), along with transportation, railroadiana, postal history and Wells Fargo & Express.
Finally, Day 5, Monday, July 15th (lots 5000-6487) will be loaded with bargains and dealer specials, in categories that will include art, bottles, Civil War, general Americana, mining, Native Americana, numismatics, railroadiana and transportation.
With thousands of lots in a vast array of categories, we highly recommend browsing the entire catalog for hidden gems in each section, Mr. Holabird said.