Reno, NV, USA, March 28, 2024 — Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC plans to hold a massive, four-day Wild West Relics Auction split between two weekends – April 6th-7th and April 13th-14th – in which 2,300 lots will be up for grabs in a wide range of collecting categories. The auction will be held online as well as live in Holabird’s gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive (Ste. 308) in Reno.
“This sale closely follows a timed auction two weeks ago that saw a lot of action, with some good rarities as well as some great buys,” said Fred Holabird of Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. “We find ourselves moving the rare collectibles into our live sales, and the rare lesser expensive items to the timed sales, which are getting more popular by the month.”
He added, “April is no exception, with hundreds of lots up for grabs, featuring many one-of-a-kind discoveries and great rarities. When I write introductions to these sales, it gets harder and harder to know where to start and how to structure the essay because of the variety of collectible genres present – at least sixty different categories.” Start times all four days will be 8 am Pacific.
Day 1, on Saturday, April 6th, will contain 563 lots of art, jewelry, Native Americana, maps, World’s Fair/Expositions, books, autographs, photographs, tools and the Wilcox photo archive.
The Wilcox archive, lot 1062, comprises hundreds of photographs taken circa 1860-1864 by Dr. Timothy Wilcox, an Army physician assigned to many of the Western forts, especially Fort Huachuca in Arizona (est. $5,000-$15,000). Also offered will be lots 1062-1064, a remarkable discovery of early 20th century original prints by the famous Western artist Frederic Remington, sold out of Remington’s own gallery, with his gallery card still attached (estimates $500-$1,500).
Lot 1446 is a circa 1660, full edition copy of Il Capitolo dei Frati, handwritten in ink by Jesuit monk Sebastiano Chiesa. The book was highly controversial for its time and was banned by the Catholic Church. Just owning a copy was punishable by death (est. $8,000-$3,000). Lot 1472 is an archive of photos and personal papers from Oliver Parker Fritchie, a visionary who owned electrical vehicle and wind power businesses in the early 20th century (est. $5,000-$10,000).
Lot 1298 is possibly the first known original map of Fort Weisport in Pennsylvania, drawn circa 1756. The fort was built with the help of Benjamin Franklin during the French and Indian War, in response to an Indian massacre in what is now Leighton. Lot 1524 is a large glass negative collection of photographs, probably unpublished, of one or more trips from Vancouver, British Columbia, north by steamer to the mining camps of the Fraser River region, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The plates are fragile but high quality (both lots est. $5,000-$10,000).
Lot 1460 is a circa 1880 mounted original albumen photograph of the 13-man posse that was sent from Tucson to Yuma, Arizona to arrest one of the Goldwater brothers for fraud in a suspected major retail goods swindle (est. $2,500-$7,500). Lot 1280 is a spectacular set of five maps showing California history from 1604-1767. One map shows California as an island (est. $600-$1,200). This map is part of a large offering of Gold Rush and early maps from two prominent collections.
There are several stunning squash blossom necklaces featuring dark blue turquoise in the sale, including lot 1194, a possibly 1960 Navajo example by J. Long (est. $2,500-$4,000). Deep blue turquoise has become harder to find in today’s mines. Lot 1369 is an 1883 copy of Edwards’ Tourists Guide and Directory on the Truckee Basin, compiled by Charles D. Irons (est. $2,000-$4,000). The guide is a rare early directory of Lake Tahoe and the Truckee region of California.
Day 2, on Sunday, April 7th, will feature 580 lots of 3D collectibles, clocks, musical items, furnishings, clothing, collectibles and flatware, advertising, general store, bottles, saloon, gaming, tobacciana, cowboy, entertainment, circus, toys, sports, transportation and railroad, political, military, firearms and weaponry (subject to federal regulations) and general ephemera.
Lot 2101 is an extremely rare late 1850s/early 1860s Barry & Patten quart-size whiskey bottle, olive-amber in color and 11 inches tall. Barry & Patten was the first Western whiskey merchant to place his product in an embossed bottle (est. $1,500-$7,500.). Lot 2120 is a Frank Abadie pint-size, knife edge coffin Nevada whiskey bottle with the original paper nearly intact, clear and made circa 1884-1886. It’s unquestionably one of the top Nevada whiskeys (est. $2,400-$4,000).
Lot 2218 is a circa 1870s carte de visite of Buffalo Bill Cody, made by the Theatrical Photography Company and depicting the Wild West showman in his younger years. The CDV is in a frame of 4 inches by 5 inches (est. $10,000-$20,000). Lots 2289-2293 are stock certificates issued to, and signed by, the founders of the Boston Red Sox (BoSox) baseball club, all from the 19-teens. Signer Harry Frazee famously sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees (est. $2,000-$5,000).
Lot 2200 is a pair of original “Wanted” handbills/posters offering a $1,600 reward regarding a stagecoach robbery and murder in the Arizona Territory, along with an 1883 letter signed by sheriff Robert S. Paul, written from his office in Tucson (est. $4,000-$6,000). Lot 2393 is a near-mint example of a marked Virginia & Truckee Nevada railroad lantern from around 1915. The globe is etched, “V. & T. Ry” and the very top is marked with embossing (est. $1,500-$2,500). It is one of about 50 railroad lanterns in the sale.
Day 3, on Saturday, April 13th, will showcase 517 lots of antique and vintage stocks and bonds, banking, mining, collectibles, industry and oil, railroad and transportation, and miscellaneous.
Of the many rare old stocks and bonds up for bid, one standout example is the mining stock certificate for Alta No. 2 Copper Mining (Del Norte County, Calif.), notable because it’s signed as company secretary by the famous California author Bret Harte, the author of Luck of Roaring Camp and other tales. The 1863 certificate is #162, issued for 50 shares (est. $3,000-$8,000).
Day 4, on Sunday, April 14th, will close out the auction with 666 lots of minerals, mining, artifacts, ephemera, scales, numismatics, tokens, philatelic, stamps, covers, Wells Fargo/Express, and postcards. Lot 4158 is an 1864 document of pledges signed by the United Merchants of Austin, Nevada for a “Sack of Flour” auctioned for the U.S. Sanitary Fund, a Western mining charity event that made history. The document was thought lost to history (est. $8,000-$17,500).
Online bidding will be provided by iCollector.com, LiveAuctrioneers.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 Wild West Relics Auction on two weekends – April 6th-7th and April 13th-14th – at 8 am Pacific each day, visit www.holabirdamericana.com.
About Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC:
Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC is always seeking new and major collections to bring to market. It prides itself as being a major source for selling Americana at the best prices obtainable, having sold more than any other similar company in the past decade alone. The firm will have its entire sales database online soon, at no cost – nearly 200,000 lots sold since 2014. To consign a single piece or a collection, you may call Fred Holabird at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766; or, you can send an e-mail to fredholabird@gmail.com. To learn more, visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted frequently.
