RENO, NEV.- It’s the end of an era, folks. After conducting huge, multi-day auctions for over a dozen years, Fred Holabird, the president, owner and founder of Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC, is officially riding off into retirement, but not before holding one more killer auction, a five-day colossus, October 31st thru November 4th, online and live in the Reno gallery.

The auction – officially titled Fred Holabird’s Grand Finale – will start at 8am Pacific Time each day and is jam-packed with 2,800 lots, in collecting categories that include mining, numismatics, stocks, Native Americana, railroadiana, political and general Americana. Many items are coming to the market for the first time in decades. The gallery is located at 3555 Airway Drive in Reno.


American Express stock certificate with signatures of four important players in the company, number 851, issued for 4 shares to John Butterfiels in October 1861. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000.

This iteration of the company had its first sale in January 2013. The goal was to offer rare Western collectibles to collectors of all ages and pocketbooks, from those just beginning to advanced lifelong collectors and premier institutions. While many auction houses shied away from selling items under $1,000, Mr. Holabird had his eyes on the future: encouraging beginning collectors was going to be beneficial to the collecting community as a whole in the long run.

“After a decade of operations under this philosophy, we think we have been proven right,” Holabird remarked. “We’ve watched as the pool of collectors grows auction to auction. We love our worldwide network of collectors, dealers, and consignors that have made our company such a success and helped us rebuild many collecting markets. But it’s time for me to pass the baton.”


Spectacular stock certificate for Monitor & Northwestern Silver Mining Co. (Alpine Cty., Caif.), number 793, issued for 5 shares in 1872, signed by two officers. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000.

Fred Holabird’s Grand Finale auction features several outstanding collections, starting with the Douglas McDonald collection of mining stocks and Nevada history items. The numismatics section includes a superb grouping of Nevada scrip, with ultra-rare advertising notes from the Comstock, Eureka and more. Gold Rush, Express and banking items are in multiple sections.

Holabird’s second round of choice Native Americana jewelry will highlight the Ken and Carolyn Osborne collection. In June 1993, the couple founded 2 Spirits Trading, dedicated to promoting, selling and educating customers about cowboy, Western and Native American collectibles. They learned directly from Native American and Western artisans before representing their work.


Oil painting depicting a race between Wells Fargo and Pacific Union Express in the late 1860s at Virginia City, Nevada, dated 1876, by the artist B. V. Davies. Estimate: $1,500-$2,500.

Day 2 will begin with a choice group of Western paintings from artist Dan Muller, including a piece Mr. Holabird believes may have been the inspiration for the song Riders in the Sky. Five paintings that once hung in the Town House Saloon in Reno in the 1930s will come up for bid. The art section also has Arnold Friberg limited-edition prints and original limited-edition photos of Mt. Whitney from Alabama Hills, Inyo County taken by Holabird photographer Uwe Nikoley.

The transportation section on Day 5 has a great group of Nevada railroad passes, with early Carson & Colorado RR and Virginia & Truckee RR, plus scarce stage and steamer ephemera. Following this section are rare Wells Fargo and Adams & Co. exchanges, checks and ephemera, including a September 1862 Virginia City Pony Express cover, sent right at the time Samuel Clemens (better known as Mark Twain) got to Virginia City. Lot 5097 is a painting depicting a race between Wells Fargo and Pacific Union Express in the late 1860s at Virginia City, Nevada.


Collection of 20 Franklin Mint 24 carat gold ingots of North American gold mines, made in 1977. Total weight: 1.66 troy ounces. Each ingot 18mm by 10mm. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000.

Gold nuggets, gold-in-quartz specimens, Nevada ore specimens, gemstones, minerals, crystals, and fossils kick off the large Minerals & Mining section on Day 2. Then comes mining ephemera and artifacts from the Western states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada.

A rare Lundy/Mono County collection is split into five lots; Gold Rush assays from Coloma, the discovery site for the Gold Rush; rare Comstock maps, mining deeds, postcards, and checks; and artifacts including ingot molds and assay equipment, a drill core kit from Belmont, Nevada, scales, explosives collectibles, and rare mining references.


1803 U. S. Draped Bust dollar, altered to 1804. Overall very good to fine condition, holed at top. 26.5 grams; 39 mm. Lettering on edge, "hundred cents one dollar or unit". Estimate: $300-$900.

Day 3 is all numismatics and Includes World’s Fair & Expo material; US Mint ephemera; currency and Western scrip; ingots, including a possible Harvey Harris fantasy piece; gold and silver US and foreign coins; choice medals, so-called dollars and badges; and a great group of Western tokens including Indian Trader, California, Colorado, and Nevada. Lot 3203 is an 1803 Draped Bust Dollar altered to look like 1804.

In addition to the previously mentioned silver and turquoise jewelry from the Osbourne Collection (and others), the Native Americana section on Day 2 also includes baskets, rugs, pottery, postcards and ephemera, including a pass for Sitting Bull from the 9th Infantry and original Edward Curtis prints.


Loan document signed in 1784 by William Ellery, one of the original Founding Fathers of the United States and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Estimate: $2,000-$6,000.

The political and militaria section on Day 5 includes Founding Father and presidential autographs (Robert Morris, Teddy Roosevelt, John Quincy Adams, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, FDR, Woodrow Wilson, McKinley and more); rare Mexican-American War, Civil War, and World War collectibles and artifacts; and a large knife and compass section at day’s end.

In addition to the rare Western mining stocks previously mentioned from the McDonald collection, the stocks and bonds section also features railroad stocks, American Express pieces, and mining stocks from Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, and more.


Three photos, one an ambrotype of the outlaw William “Bloody Bill” Anderson (1839-1864), the other two of his sisters, all taken in the 1860s by Kingston A. Wulff. Estimate: $15,000-$25,000.

The Day 4 General Americana section will feature maps, books, photos, rare documents, a large jewelry section, and more. Lot 4021 is a fabulous panorama photograph of Donner Lake believed taken by the famous photographer WH Jackson. Also sold will be rare California and Colorado books and early guides; early Nevada ephemera related to Mark Twain; and a great group of Harolds Club pin-up posters.


Masterpiece 14kt gold and spiderweb turquoise bracelet designed and created by master Navajo jewelry craftsman Tom Willeto of Laguna, N.M. several decades ago. Estimate: $4,000-$10,000.

Additional Day 4 highlights will include Lot 4243, original photographs of William T. “Bloody Bill” Anderson; rare Wyoming/Utah fort and Indian Trader ephemera; 19th century jewelry with ties to the Nevada Brewery in Virginia City, Nevada; bottles and saloon collectibles; fire-related collectibles; and much more.

Bids can be placed in-person, over-the-phone with an agent, or online via iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, or AuctionZip.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

Actually, Fred Holabird’s Grand Finale auction technically isn’t a grand finale. One final online-only timed auction is scheduled for later in November. It is a “clear the shelves” blow-out sale. The largest part of that auction will be dealer lots of stocks from the Ken Prag Collection, easily a few hundred thousand pieces.

“Our dealers have been asking for years for us to sell this level of quantity, and we listened.” Mr. Holabird said, adding, “It will be a once-in-a-lifetime event, filling dealer inventories for the next decade. And we have not cherrypicked or looked for autographs.”

Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC may be reached by phone, at 1-844-492-2766, or 775-851-1859; and via email, at fredholabird@gmail.com. To learn more, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted frequently.