Reno, NV, USA, October 18, 2023 -- Just in time for Halloween, Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC will host a two-day, Hauntingly Good timed auction on Saturday and Sunday, October 21-22, starting at 8 am Pacific time both days. The online-only sale will be hosted exclusively on iCollector.com and feature over 2,000 lots of collectible Americana, numismatics, philatelic and dealer items.
The largest section is numismatics, with about 300 lots. Bidders will find a great cross-section of rarities in many subject areas. Highlights include two US Mint, San Francisco 5-ounce ingots and a wide variety of small collector commemorative silver ingots. There are 50 lots of currency, including some fractional currency, a nice scrip section, 65 lots of medals and 65 lots of tokens.
Philatelic fractional currency will feature a three-piece lot: 1) Fr#1230, 5c First Issue, CU; 2) Fr#1280, 25c First Issue, CU; 3) Fr#1312, 50c First Issue, graded AU or UNC with dirt, expected to change hands for $500-$1,000. Also, a dealer lot of 18 Shield nickels, from 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869, 1870, 1872, 1882 and 1883, graded G-AG-VG, should make $600-$1,200.
So-called dollars also join in the mix, featuring a lot of two 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition so-called dollars, both in AU-BU condition. One is HK 399 in silver, the other HK 400 in bronze (est. $300-$700). Numismatic ephemera will be highlighted by an original Carson City (Nev.) Mint US Dollar bag, one of maybe fewer than a dozen known (est. $1,500-$3,000).
Foreign medals and proof sets will be led by lot 2249, a lot of five items: a 1975 Republic of Liberia proof set (seven coins in the original case); two Jamaica proof sets, minted at the Franklin Mint, seven 1973 coins in the original case; a 1974 eight-coin set in the original case; a 1968 Israel State Medal, International Stoke-Mandeville Games, brass, in the original box; and a gold, silver and copper medal set from the 1970 World Expo in Osaka, Japan (est. $500-$1,000).
Sovereign Nation silver medals will feature a commemorative series issued by the Franklin Mint, 1971-1976, titled “Commemorative Silver Medallions from the Indian Tribes of America”. It’s the complete set of 40 sterling silver medallions honoring the sovereign nations of Native American Indian tribes, each one nicely housed in a hard plastic case. (est. $900-$1,400).
Philatelics, inclusive of postcards, contains over 200 lots, with some nice advertising covers, stamp collections, and some really good imprinted revenue stamp collections, as well as adhesive revenue on document groups. The postcards come from three different collections, and center on California, especially Nevada County. Sports contains about 50 lots, including signed baseballs (Willie Mays, etc.) and an original decoy duck collection from the Gary Bracken Collection.
The stocks and bonds section approaches 300 lots, with specialty categories of mining and railroad, as well as telephone and telegraph, auto and other categories. The section is full of goodies, with most of the better material saved for an upcoming live auction, where bidders will see some great rarities from the John Herzog Collection and various California collections.
Mining and minerals contain about 150 lots of a wide variety of goodies from several collections, while the art section has about 50 lots, containing lithographs, prints and sculptures. Books and autographs are about 130 lots, centering on Western history and collectibles. The antique bottle section has a great selection of about 150 lots, mostly from the Bracken Collection (Midwest and Colorado) and western collections. There are also beer trays and bottle collecting ephemera, too.
Gary Bracken’s massive collections included some fantastic general store items, particularly tins from the 1870s-1940 or so. The sale will provide a smidgen of these great artifacts as a “teaser”, with most of the best reserved for Holabird’s next large live auction, possibly in November. The general ephemera section is always a big hit. Here, bidders will find selections from the Jann Garvis Sierra County and Gold Rush collections, plus other California and Montana collections.
American check collections are scattered throughout the catalog, and can be found in the ephemera and philatelic sections, although folks are encouraged to peruse the entire catalog. There are many lots of imprinted revenue stamps on checks and documents from all over the country, plus some key lots from the Garvis La Porte, California collection, including rare RNs.
Other categories of interest are firefighting, gaming, Native American, fraternal lots, militaria, music, political, souvenir plates and silver, and a tobacco cigar box collection of Bracken’s.
An original vintage wooden beer keg Leadville for the Colorado-Columbine Brewing Company, 26 inches tall and 19 inches in diameter, with the name stamped in one end of the barrel, very rare, has an estimate of $500-$1,200; while a collection of seven Chicago beer glasses from the early 20th century, including examples from Prima Beer, Independent Brewing Association in Prima, Superb Beer, Edelweis, Savoy Special Beer and Malvaz should command $500-$800.
One lot consisting of a 5-gallon, 2-tone jug for Claremore (Okla.) Radium Water (“From Sanitarium Bath House / C A Williams, Mgr.”) and a framed advertisement for The Clark Mineral Spring Hotel (Pueblo, Colo.), should achieve $400-$1,200. Also, a slope shoulder Chicago Liquor House (Pueblo, Colo.) jug, made by Western Pottery (Denver, Colo.), weighing about 19 pounds and measuring 15 inches by 12 inches, has a pre-sale estimate of $300-$500.
A collection of vintage bills and correspondence from the 1870s is expected to bring $300-$500. Importers, distillers and brewers include More, Reynolds & Co. of San Francisco; Dallemand & Company Wine & Liquor Merchants, San Francisco; Goodhart-Hartman Co., Whisky distillers of Chicago; and Livingston & Co. Importers of Wines & Liquors. Also, a sterling silver spoon collection from 1900s-era Nevada City and Grass Valley, California should achieve $400-$600.
This is a timed auction, so there will be no live auctioneer or audio/video feed. Folks can bid now, up to the day each session closes. On both the auction days, they will be able to log in to a virtual console and bid live, per normal. Each lot will open with an automatic timer that’s reset with each live bid. Once the bidding stops and the timer runs out, then the next lot is presented.
Internet bidding will be provided exclusively by iCollector.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Color catalogs are available by calling 1-844-492-2766, or 775-851-1859
To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, and the online-only Hauntingly Good timed auction on October 21st and 22nd, starting at 8 am Pacific time each day, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com.
About Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC:
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. 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 about Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com.