Holabird's Massive American Treasures Of The Past Auction, August 22-25 In Reno, Has Over 2,100 Lots

By Author: Fred Holabird
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Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC has held numerous monster four-day auctions in the past, but they’ve clearly raised the bar for the upcoming American Treasures of the Past auction planned for August 22nd thru 25th, online and live in the Reno gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive (Suite #308), starting promptly at 8 am Pacific time all four auction days.

A whopping 2,151 lots are slated to come up for bid, in categories that include Native American jewelry, coins and currency, turquoise and raw Western gems, high-quality bronzes and Western oils from the Tahoe/Reno Western Art collection, Art Nouveau post cards, Levi Strauss and miners’ pants, antique Western bottles, Western antiquities and Chinese Eastern watercolors.

Day 1, on Thursday, August 22nd, will feature 537 lots of general Americans billheads and maps, railroadiana, transportation, antique bottles, silverwares, sports memorabilia, medals and tokens.

The bottles category will be led by a beautiful example of an exceedingly rare and popular Western whiskey, the Thos. Taylor (Virginia City, Nev.), produced circa the 1860s and, as ...
... an applied top whiskey bottle, it is the only one from Nevada. It has an estimate of $8,000-$14,000. Also offered will be a new California soda discovery, a circa 1856-1858 Bordwell & Co. green pontiled soda bottle, produced in Oraville, Calif. The bottle is expected to bring $5,000-$10,000.

Day 2, on Friday, August 23rd, will contain a world-class collection of original vintage Art Nouveau postcards, cowboy collectibles, militaria, postal history (to include Wells Fargo & Express), and philatelic (covers/USA and worldwide, stamps/USA and zeppelin / Hindenberg).

The collection of Art Nouveau postcards includes a group of 38 postcards from the famous French poster artist Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939). The circa 1899-1900 postcards will be sold individually and are part of Mucha’s 4th series, first published in the literary journal Le Mois. Each image depicts one of the months of the year, showing a lady in appropriate seasonal dress.

Day 3, on Saturday, August 24th, will be especially busy, with 536 lots of art, Native Americana (to include jewelry), mining (to include turquoise and raw Western gems) and miners’ old pants.

An amazing collection of high-quality bronzes and Western oils from the Tahoe/Reno Western Art Collection is sure to ignite bidding wars. The world-class and stunning works will be led by a stunning, detailed bright and vibrant depiction of Indians on the trail, possibly an unfinished painting by the renowned Western artist CM Russell, circa 1912-1914 (est. $100,000-$200,000).

The bronzes group will be highlighted by a 1982 collaboration between the artists Gil Melton and Buckeye Blake, titled Faded Romance (9/12). The work, considered a masterpiece, measures 16 inches tall by 64 inches in length and depicts a stagecoach and a team of horses. It would be the true prize of any museum exhibit and weighs in at about 300 pounds (est. $20,000-$50,000).

A different genre of artwork will also be offered on Day 3 in the form of a fabulous selection from a private collection of Qin Wei (1911-1936), known in China as a “National Treasure”. Only one of his pieces resides today in an American museum. Twenty-five of Wei’s original watercolor paintings, all from the 1920s-1940s, will be sold, with estimates of $5,000-$15,000.

A major collection of American turquoise in Native American art in jewelry form has been held in the same Midwest family since the 1970s – until now. With more than 300 lots comprising around 1,000 pieces, the collection showcases the work of Zuni and Navajo artists at their finest.

Pieces include a jaw-dropping Zuni bolo by Danny Young, signed on the reverse, with custom silver work by Savage. The bolo, crafted circa 1975, weighs 203 grams and is one of the finest Zuni bolo artisan pieces of its time (est. $7,000-$15,000). Also up for bid is a Navajo squash blossom necklace, Bisbee baby blue turquoise by Nerns with matching ring (est. $2,000-$3,500).

A new discovery from Utah and Idaho of about 15 pair of miners’ pants from the circa 1875-1890 period, many of them makes and models not seen before, will include an unusual pair of blue denim overalls with trim modeled after Levi Strauss (est. $3,000-$20,000). There are no Levis in the auction, but there is a signed (autographed) Levi Strauss check at the Day 3’s end.

There are too many Western antiquities to mention, but one intriguing lot is the half-plate daguerreotype image of 13 gold miners working their gold claim in Hangtown, Calif. (later Placerville, earlier Dry Diggins) during the California Gold Rush. The 4 ½ inch by 5 ½ inch photo is extremely clear and comes in a leather photo case. It should bring $10,000-$15,000.

Day 3 also features a collection of raw gem materials from many Western turquoise mines, all collected prior to 1980 to include samples from the famous No. 8 mine in eastern Nevada. These include a group of rough turquoise pieces, some top grade, weighing a total of three pounds (est. $1,200-$2,000; and a lot of four large turquoise slabs weighing 1.4 pounds (est. $800-$1,400).

Day 4, on Sunday, August 25th, has 544 lots of general Americana feature pieces and numismatics, including ingots, coins and currency.

The American History Collection continues with some of America’s first gold coins, proof coins and great rarities. Star lots include a proof example of the 1897 Liberty Head $20 gold coin, one of only 86 produced (est. $30,000-$100,000); and America’s first gold coin, a 1795 Capped Bust Heraldic Eagle reverse $5 gold piece, an important coin in any collection (est. $45,000-$65,000).

In addition, the Confederate currency collection, begun in the 1960s, is one of the best to hit the market in years. Examples include a CSA T-35 $5 note dated Sept. 2, 1861 Indian Princess, Cr. 271, one of only about 100 known (est. $22,000-$55,000); and a CSA Type 1 $1,000 written dates National Bank Note Company treasury note issued May 27, 1861 (est. $30,000-$45,000).

Online bidding will be provided by iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Anyone owning a collection that might fit into a Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC 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 and the upcoming American Treasures of the Past auction planned for August 22nd thru 25th, visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted often.