RENO, NEV.- Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC is saving the best for last in 2023 as it gears up for what is expected to be their biggest sale of the year – a Christmas Chronicles auction, a four-day mega-event packed with over 2,500 lots in a variety of collecting categories, online and live in the Reno gallery at 3555 Airway Drive, starting at 8 am Pacific time each day.
“The Christmas Chronicles auction is our grand finale event of 2023 and we've included every collecting category as a Christmas thank-you for our valued customers,” said Fred Holabird of Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. The categories include saloon, bottles, brewery, mining, numismatics, philatelic, general Americana, stocks and bonds, fine art, display minerals, vintage toys and more; something for every level of collector, from novices to seasoned veterans.
The auction is also loaded with brand new, fresh-to-market items, featuring collectibles from The Robert Coelln Western Collection, The Jan Garvis Mining Collection, The Franklin Collection, The Herzog Collection, The Chunlin Zhu Natural Wonders Collection, The Gary Bracken General Store Collection, plus many others. Serious collectors need to mark their calendars now.
Day 1, on Thursday, December 7th, contains 555 lots of art, photography, Native American art, imported collectibles, home items, souvenir plates, silverware, jewelry, Native American artifacts, maps, books, entertainment and musical instruments – a strong start to the auction.
Day 1 star lots include a four-piece group that features a gold necklace with a gold nugget engraved in gold, “George’s Gulch 1909” (no doubt a trophy for its owner); 8.3-gram and 1.7-gram gold nuggets with quartz; and a 12.2-gram gold watch chain (est. $5,000-$9,000); and a stunning Blue Montana sapphire and diamond lady’s two-ring set on white gold, both a size 5. The set was designer custom made less than five years ago and is like-new (est. $7,000-$8,000).
Also offered on Day 1 is an authentic, hand-made Nez Perce buckskin, beaded, ceremonial dress boasting beautiful detailed beadwork in a rainbow of colors, made by V. Morris, a native Nez Perce woman born in 1900, about 52 inches long (est. $6,000-$12,000); and a handwritten Italian manuscript of the controversial late 1600s Ecumenical farce, titled “Il Capitolo dei Frati”, by Sebastiano Chiesa, possibly the first copy of his final 17th century draft (est. $10,000-$30,000).
Day 2, on Friday, December 8th, is loaded with 587 lots of minerals, mining, cowboy, bottles, saloon, tobacciana, gaming, firearms and weapons, military items and political memorabilia.
Leading the way on Day 2 is a beautiful leather beaded belt and two pistol holsters likely worn by a Native American performer in a Miller Brothers Wild West show at the 101 Ranch, near Stillwater, Okla. (est. $20,000-$50,000); and one of only a few known photos of John Henry Holliday, better known as Doc Holliday, along with his longtime companion Kate Horony, better known as "Big Nose Kate", an historical 1870s tintype in nice condition (est. $7,000-$15,000).
Also up for bid is a large quartz crystal discovered in Placerville, California more than a decade ago, comprising five large crystals, 6 to 12 inches in diameter, flanked by slightly smaller crystals, including a group off to the side of very clear quartz (est. $5,000-$10,000); and a group of mining papers with approximated counts from Missouri Mining Co., 1917; Eastern Mine and Mill, c. 1902; Keystone Mining, 1888; Montana Mining Company; and others (est. $200-$400).
Day 3, on Saturday, December 9th, contains nearly 600 lots of sports, tokens, badges, coins, numismatics, currency, ephemera, ingots, exonumia and medals, SS Central America items, transportation, general collectibles, tools, general store and geographically sorted ephemera.
A Kellogg & Humbert Assay Office broadside relating to the SS Central America, dated May 7,1859, was an attempt by the company to prevent any adverse impact to their business caused by dubious acts of at least one of their competitors (est. $10,000-$20,000). Also, a 5-point star silver Rocky Mountain Detective Agency badge, 2 inches in diameter, with pinback, from The Rocky Mountain Detective Association, founded by David J. Cook, should reach $1,000-$3,000.
An entire set of 70 Franklin Mint: Official Bicentennial ingots, First Edition sterling silver proofs in specially-postmarked commemorative cachets with stamps, postmarked from 1973-1981, over 130 ounces of silver, each ingot weighing 1.89 oz., in an album, should bring $2,000-$4,000. Also, a 1927 St. Gaudens US $20 gold piece, NGC certified MS 63, should make $2,200-$3,000.
The auction’s final day, on Sunday, December 10th, will feature 582 lots of stocks and bonds (including mining, railroad and other subjects), philatelic and postal history; postcards, US and worldwide stamps, Wells Fargo & Express, firefighting memorabilia and fraternal organizations.
A Sutro Tunnel Company stock certificate signed by Adolph Sutro as Duly Authorized Agent of the company, dateline New York, Oct. 11, 1868, No. 37, issued for 500 shares to A. Rosenbaum of San Francisco, has an estimate of $2,000-$3,500. Also, a rare Early California Gold Rush stock certificate for the Phoenix Gold Mining Company, No. 25, issued in 1853 to Evert & Curtiss for 100 shares, signed by two officers, with six vignettes, should reach $1,000-$2,000.
A famous stock certificate from 1915 of the Great Cariboo Mining Company (Yukon Territory, Canada), with vignettes of gold nuggets and two vails of gold, plus placer mining scenes and underground mining scenes, 13 inches by 15 inches, has an estimate of $800-$1,200. Also, a Wells Fargo & Co. Express reverse glass framed commemorative mirror, probably made for collectors, possibly in the 1960s, 18 inches by 24 ¾ inches (framed) should bring $500-$1,000.
