Holabird's Massive Rush To The Rockies Auction, Aug. 25th-28th, Live And Online, Has Over 2,000 Lots

By Author: Fred Holabird
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A four-day Rush to the Rockies auction packed with more than 2,000 lots of vintage and antique bottles, Native Americana, numismatics and philatelic (coins and stamps), mining collectibles, stocks and general Americana will be held August 25th-28th by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC, online and live in the Reno gallery at 3555 Airway Drive.

Start times all four days will be 8 am Pacific. Headlining the event will be Part 2 of the massive and marvelous collection of Gary Bracken of Ponca City, Oklahoma. Part 1 was held in July, where records were set in numerous categories, including Colorado and Oklahoma bottles, rare ancient coins and Western tokens. More of same will be offered in Party 2, plus other categories.

These will include Colorado and Kansas postal history and rare Colorado revenue checks; Colorado, Nevada and Texas tokens and key tags; Colorado photographs, advertising and ephemera; a spectacular collection of Native American points (arrowheads) and stone tools; more rare ancient coins; and Colorado bottles, including whiskey flasks, sodas, jugs and beer.

Other important collections ...
... will also come up for bid. These include the following:

- A continuation of the Joe Elcano mining stock collection, featuring over 60 different Nevada territorial mining stock certificates, as well as rarities and autograph pieces.

- Part 2 of the Jim & Barbara Sherman private Western mining museum collection (Part 1 was held in July), featuring more rare militaria (including sabers and bayonets), a 17th century Portuguese cannon, shipwreck artifacts, rare mining artifacts, and other items.

- Part 1 of an unnamed Colorado mining collection (to be sold across numerous sales). The collection includes some of the best Colorado mining stocks Holabird has ever offered.

- More from the Stuart MacKenzie Montana collection, with this round highlighting more Montana ephemera including important mining archives, advertising and history libraries.

Day 1, on Thursday, August 25th, will feature art and general Americana, the latter featuring geographic sort and miscellaneous categories, to include cowboy, jewelry, books and more.

A remarkable chromolithograph of the Grand Canyon by Thomas Moran (1837-1926), dated 1912, housed in the original frame measuring 41 ½ inches by 33 inches, has an estimate of $4,000-$6,000. It was a promotional piece used by the Atkinson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to promote their interests at the Grand Canyon. Moran signed and dated the image lower left.

A pictorial archive from the Mormon polygamist Peter Johnson, consisting of three framed portrait charcoal sketches of Mormons imprisoned for polygamy (including Johnson), plus a fourth mammoth plate photo of the building of the Temple in Salt Lake, Utah, also framed, all from Box Elder County in Utah and ranging from the 1870s-1890s, should fetch $2,000-$5,000.

Day 2, on Friday, August 26th, will feature philatelic (to include covers, featuring the Bracken Colorado collection, stamps, RN checks and ephemera); stocks and bonds (including Express and early American, railroad and mining, featuring the Colorado and Nevada territories); minerals, mining artifacts and ephemera; and transportation (air, space, auto, rail and steamer).

An archive of early 20th century material pertaining to the life and career of Otto Schulenburg, the president of the Leviathan Gold Mining Company in Montana, a great collection of primary source documents pertaining to a mining magnate whose estate was worth about $2 million but who died in an insane asylum in 1908, all in 14 binders, is expected to command $6,000-$9,000.

An Apollo 13 print by astronaut Alan Bean titled Houston, We Have a Problem, signed by astronauts, plus Apollo 13 movie actors Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Jim Lovell, Fred Haise Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ron Howard and Bean, #589 from an edition of 1,000, should hit $3,000-$4,000. The print is a great collectible from one of NASA’s finest, most triumphant moments.

Day 3, on Saturday, August 27th, will contain Native Americana (to include arrowheads, artifacts and stone tools, beadwork, art and ephemera); and bottles, brewing and saloon (including general bottles, Bracken’s Colorado bottles, saloon and brewing ephemera, and Coca-Cola collectibles).

A back bar mirror said to be from the Yukon Saloon in Dawson City during the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon Territory of Canada, in the original wood frame, should hit $5,000-$10,000. The saloon was in a hotel that was destroyed by fire in 1898. Also, a collection of around 230 projectile points (arrowheads), all from Missouri, covering 6000 to 1000 B.P, in box frames, has an estimate of $2,000-$4,000. Included are three bone fragments that may be from a large bird.

A stunning Southwestern style Indian still life painting by Frederick J. Behre (1856-1942), depicting baskets, pottery and textiles, dated Dec. 22, 1961 and nicely housed in a 32 inch wide by 26 inch tall frame, should realize $2,000-$4,000. Also, a fabulous unlisted half-gallon Pioneer Bar & Bottling Works whiskey jug (Victor, Colorado), is expected to command $1,000-$2,000.

The sale’s final day, on Sunday, August 28th, will feature firearms, cutlery and militaria; and numismatics (to include, currency, scrip and ephemera; U.S. and ancient and foreign coins; medals and exonumia (numismatic items other than coins and paper money); and tokens.

Day 4 will feature two of the expected top lots of the auction. The first is a Portuguese bronze hand cannon from the 1600s, .70 caliber, 21 inches in length, used as a persuasive deterrent against boarding pirates or enemy sailors (est. $7,000-$10,000). A 7-inch handle helps aim the piece. This is an antique cannon, not an FFL firearm; only a qualified gunsmith should fire it.

The other is the “Peace Medal” collection of Larry Swick, a group of 84 Peace Medals from the Pine Ridge Reservation, gathered from 1976-1978, with “Notes of Provenance in Lakota and English” (est. $10,000-$30,000). Mr. Swick was the only white farmer on the Pine Ridge Reservation, in South Dakota, adding to the collection’s cultural and historical significance.

Also offered on Day 4 will be an aureus (ancient Roman gold coin), depicting Claudius (AD 41-54), conqueror of Britain (est. $3,000-$3,500). The very rare aureus of Peace of the Augustae depicts Pax as a winged nemesis driving the snake of good fortune with cadeuces of good health.

Internet bidding will be provided by iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Color catalogs are available by calling 1-844-492-2766, or 775-851-1859.

Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC has a wonderful series of auctions planned for the rest of 2022, to include two in the fall that will feature items from the S.S. Central America. The firm is seeking treasure-related items, ingots, gold nuggets and Gold Rush collectibles to add to these sales, which will feature “Treasures from the Land & Sea”. And, of course, it is always looking for consignments from mining, railroadiana, Native Americana, numismatics and bottles.

Anyone owning a collection that might fit into a Holabird Western Americana Collections auction is encouraged to get in touch. The firm travels 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 Rush to the Rockies auction from Aug. 25-28, online and live in the Reno gallery, visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted often.