Two San Francisco Mint Silver Ingots From The 1930s/'40s Combine $10,001 In Holabird's Auction

By Author: Fred Holabird
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Two San Francisco Mint silver ingots produced in the 1930s or ‘40s combined for just over $10,000 ($10,001 to be exact) in Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC’s two-day, online-only Hauntingly Good timed auction held October 21st-22nd, on iCollector.com. The auction featured more than 2,000 lots of Americana, numismatics, philatelic and dealer items.

“We assembled a wide variety of great stuff, from true individual item rarities to very popular collecting categories such as mining, numismatics, philatelics, sports and a great selection of Western history and collectibles libraries,” said Fred Holabird of Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. Every lot started at just ten dollars, which made for brisk, competitive bidding.

The largest category was numismatics, with about 300 lots. The San Francisco Mint silver ingots were the top two lots of the auction. Both featured type one oval hallmarks and consisted of 999.75 fine silver. One bar weighed 6.48 ounces and measured 32 mm by 52 mm ($5,422). The other bar weighed 5.87 ounces and had the number “7” imprinted on the lower edge ($4,579).

An ...
... extremely rare, original Carson City (Nevada) Mint dollar bag, stamped “U. S. Mint / Carson City / Nevada” and one of probably fewer than twelve in existence, changed hands for $2,125. Also, a cigar box full of brilliant uncirculated medals made by the Medallic Art Company of New York (23 silver and 48 bronze), commemorating the California Missions, made $1,500.

Sovereign Nation silver medals featured a commemorative series issued by the Franklin Mint, 1971-1976, titled “Commemorative Silver Medallions from the Indian Tribes of America”. It was the complete set of 40 sterling silver medallions honoring the sovereign nations of Native American Indian tribes, each one housed in a hard plastic case. The set gaveled for $750.00.

An NGC certified AU 1849 dated brass California gaming counter token, 38 mm wide, showing a flag and steamship on the obverse and a spread eagle on the reverse, finished at $687.50; while a similar flag and steamship California token, this one NGC certified XF 45, also 1849 dated and brass, gaveled for $531.25. These large size gaming counters were well used in games of chance.

Philatelic fractional currency featured a lot of three red seal examples: 1) FR#1258, 10c fourth issue, CU 50; 2) FR#1257, 15c fourth Issue, CU 50; and 3) FR#1301, 25c fourth issue, CU 63. ($593.75). Also sold was a group of 116 $1 silver certificates from the 1935 Series, including 1 1935; 25 1935A (many CU); 8 1935C; 1935D (45; 25 sequenced CU); and 6 1935G ($593.75).

Philatelics overall contained over 200 lots, with some nice advertising covers, stamp collections, and good imprinted revenue stamp collections, as well as adhesive revenue on document groups. A group of three sheets of First Supersonic Flight U.S. stamps, plus a Glamorous Glennis X-1 model plane, 10 inches tall, signed on the wing by legendary pilot Chuck Yeager, rose to $938.

The postcards came from three different collections, and centered primarily on California, especially Nevada County. A collection of vintage black and white postcards of female nudes hit $531.2. The stocks and bonds section approached 300 lots, with specialty categories of mining and railroad, as well as telephone and telegraph, automotive and other specialty categories.

A Union Iron Works (San Francisco, Calif.) catalogue no. 3 from 1896, 203 pages total including the index, with illustrations of the company’s iron and mining products with specifications, earned $625.00. Also, a rare Nevada County (Calif.) Narrow Gauge Railroad brass badge-shaped luggage tag, no. 266, measuring 2 inches by 1 ½ inches, went to a determined bidder for $532.

Mining and minerals contain about 150 lots of a wide variety of goodies from several collections. A cast iron corporate sealer from the Portland Mining Company – at one point in history the largest mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado – in working condition, found a new home for $875.

The antique bottle section had a great selection of about 150 lots, mostly from the Gary Bracken Collection (Midwest and Colorado) and western collections. A lot of two bottles – one an aqua colored soda bottle for Rocky Mountain Bottling Works (Marysville, Mont.), 6 ½ inches tall; the other a paper label M O P High-Grade Whiskey (Alder, Mont.) half-pint bottle – made $593.75.

A 5-gallon, two-tone jug (“Claremore, Okla. / Radium Water / From / Sanitarium Bath House / C A Williams, Mgr.”), plus a framed advertisement for The Clark Mineral Spring Hotel in Pueblo, Colo., in a frame with cracked glass measuring 13 ½ inches by 19 ½ inches, commanded $750.

Internet bidding was provided exclusively by iCollector.com. Telephone and absentee bids were also accepted. All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.

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, LLC, visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates posted often.