RENO, NEV.- A Mineral Surveyor Archive from the important, mineral and ore-rich San Juan Triangle region of Colorado, spanning the years 1878-1935, sold for $28,060 at a three-day Wild West Wonders auction held August 8th-10th by Holabird Western Americana Collections, online and live in the Holabird gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive in Reno, packed with 1,737 lots.

The world U.S. Deputy James Dyson entered into in 1879 – Silverton and the San Juan region – was exploding in prospecting and production. By 1905 the population stood at 3,000. All the while Dyson was the sole Mineral Surveyor, active up to his death in 1923. By 1960, 64 million ounces of silver, 348,000 ounces of gold and millions more in zinc, lead and copper were mined.

The collecting categories in the auction included mining, numismatics, Native Americana, philatelic, Western Americana, antique stocks and bonds and more. Bids were placed live and in-person, over the phone with an agent, and online via iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. It was a great sale, filled with many Americana treasures.

Some nice items that went unsold are still available at attractive prices. More on those later.

“We’re in our final series of auctions before my official retirement at the end of this year,” said Fred Holabird, president and owner of Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. “Wild West Wonders was the penultimate live sale, with one more scheduled for October. We’re calling that one Holabird’s Grand Finale. Consignments must be in no later than September 1st.”

“The material already coming in for the October sale is great, and we’re imagining it will be a proper send-off for Fred, who has spent decades creating new collectors, building collecting markets, writing original research articles and bringing thousands and thousands of historical items to auction,” said a spokesperson for the company, adding, “What a fantastic run he had!”

A top achiever on Day 1 of Wild West Wonders was a scarce copy of the book Redwood and Lumbering in California Forests with Illustrations (1884), one of only a handful known with 24 original albumen prints inside the book, all in excellent condition. The book was published by Edgar Cherry, a “traveling agent” for the Sonoma Democrat newspaper. It gaveled for $4,375.

Also on Day 1, a porcelain sign for the June Lake Loop Automobile Club in Southern California, very rare, for a famous route in the Eastern Sierra, 20 inches by 36 inches, black and white, went for $2,000; while an original cel painting for the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), showing Jessica Rabbit, with a letter on back from Disney saying it’s original, garnered $1,750.

Two very different lots posted identical prices of $1,562. One was a circa 1900 pintail duck wood decoy by William J. Mason, with all original paint and glass eyes, overall 17 inches in length. The other was a late 19th century saloon photo taken in Skagway, Alaska, with one of the men in the photo believed to be the outlaw and gambler Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith.



Day 2 action was brisk and was led by the US Mineral Surveyor archive. Also sold was stock certificate No. 2 for the Homestake Mining Company, dated Nov. 2, 1877, important because Homestake was America’s largest single producing gold mine at well over 50 million ounces since the day this was issued ($5,625); and a stock certificate for the North American Land Company, issued to James Rees in 1795 and signed by Founding Father Robert Morris ($1,312).



The spectacular, world-class gold-quartz watchchain of the prospector Stephen Roberts, a trophy of his work in the 1860s with the two mines at Belmont, Nevada -- the Highbridge and Monitor-Belmont – climbed to $8,437. Also, a collection of California medium-size (#10) placer gold nuggets, weighing approximately 16.5 grams, suitable for jewelry, found a new home for $2,875.

A vintage Navajo turquoise Squash Blossom necklace believed to have been made by silversmith Clyde Begay of the Canyoncito, New Mexico region, 17 inches long, brought $2,250; while an exquisite Zuni made Corn Maiden inlaid necklace presented on a three-strand turquoise nugget necklace, signed, designed and created by Zuni Native Eldred Martinez, hammered for $1,812.

A bronze sculpture by Vic Payne in 1992, titled Thunder of Little Bighorn, #62 of 100, signed and numbered on the back, from Payne’s “study edition of 1200”, 25 inches tall, hit $1,750. Also, a Navajo tapestry woven from native wool on a primitive loom, colored with natural dye and made by Navajo weaver Alma Williams (1918-2001), 36 inches by 51 inches, made $1,562.



A book inscribed by the notorious outlaw Black Bart (real name: Charles Boles), signed while he was in prison and dated Jan. 1, 1888, the book possibly given to him by a newspaper reporter, earned $2,000. Also, a circa 1870s carte de visite of Wild West showman Buffalo Bill Cody, made by the Theatrical Photography Co. and depicting Cody as a young man, fetched $1,562.



Day 3 featured an original cancelled Carson City (Nev.) mint coin die for the obverse of a $20 Double Eagle gold coin, authenticated by CC Mint Press Operator Ken Hopple, with four strikes by Hopple, achieved $3,750; while an original Carson City Mint canvas coin bag, likely for dollars given the coin imprints visible on the lower portion of the bag, framed, sold for $2,625.

In addition to the live auction planned for October, Holabird will also have at least one more timed auction in September, with a likely second timed auction in October (no live bidding).

Unsold available lots from the Wild West Wonders auction include the following. Contact Holabird by phone (775-851-1859, 844-492-2766) or email (info@fhwac.com) to inquire.

• Lot 2178 – Cal fractional gold and gold nugget necklace (contact office for price)

• Lot 2059 – Navajo turquoise squash blossom necklace ($1,600 plus buyer’s premium)

• Lot 2169 – Alaska placer gold (contact office for price)

• Lot 2331 – Natomas County (Gold Dredge) archive, CA & NV 1919-1915 ($3,000 plus buyer’s premium)

• Lot 3477 – Founding Father / Declaration signer William Ellery ($1,000 plus buyer’s premium)

• Lot 3129 – Invoice for gold dust and ingot shipment from the SS Panama, Sept. 1849 ($1,000 plus buyer’s premium)

• Lot 2154 – Framed carte de visite photos of Bloody Bill Anderson and sisters ($7,500 plus buyer’s premium)

• Lot 2012 – Gradter woodcut by Salvador Dali ($600 plus buyer’s premium)

• Lot 3296 – Miles City, Montana Territorial token ($1,500 plus buyer’s premium)

• Lot 1477 – Montana Territorial postmarks history collection ($750 plus buyer’s premium)

• Lot 1176 – Charles Russell round tip tray for Heptol Splits, “For Health’s Sake” ($500 plus buyer’s premium)

• Lot 1018 – Edward Dabroka original Superman artist archive, 1930s-1960s ($5,000 plus buyer’s premium)

To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted frequently.