RENO, Nev. – Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC’s next auction, titled Treasures from the Shelves, will represent a bit of a departure from past events. For starters, it’s only two days (February 18th and 19th), not Holabird’s customary five days. Start times both days will be 8 am Pacific time. Also, it will be an “autopilot auction”, with a ten dollar start price on each lot.

The auction will feature over 1,400 lots in many collecting categories, to include mining, bottles, stocks, philatelic, militaria, Native Americana, numismatics and general Americana. More items from important collections that have been featured in past sales, such as those of Gary Bracken, Ken Prag and Stuart MacKenzie, will come up for bid. Dealers will want to mark their calendars.

Day 1 – on Saturday, February 18th – will contain 757 lots in the categories minerals and mining, general Americana and bottles. Three lots are expected to vie for top lot honors. One is a high-grade, long slab of gold ore from the Hishikari Gold Mine, near the southern tip of Japan, 6 inches by 2 inches and weighing 249 grams and having dark wavy features (est. $1,500-$4,000).

The other two are a variety of ledgers, notebooks and documents of historical, geological and metallurgical noteworthiness from the Nevada Consolidated Copper Corp. and the Kennecott Copper Corp. in McGill, Nevada (est. $2,250-$5,000); and an archive of material (six binders, perhaps 1,000+ documents, circa 1900-1940) pertaining to Harold R. Moss, a mining engineer and metallurgist who lived and worked in Montana in the early 20th century (est. $3,000-$5,000).

A map of the Leadville (Colorado) mining district from 1901, compiled from official records and other reliable sources by Chas. F. Saunders, scale 1,200 feet to the inch, printed by Denver Litho. Co., has a pre-sale estimate of $1,000-$2,000. Also, a panorama photo image of Cripple Creek, Colorado, probably taken around 1908 or possibly later, 12 ¾ inches by 6 ½ inches and showing the whole town with Mt. Pisgah in the background, in good condition, should bring $400-$800.

An EG Stiles Colorado mining archive – about 60 items, including the mines of Cripple Creek and elsewhere, three mineral patents and various property reports, circa 1893-1905 – is expected to change hands for $500-$1,000. Also, a two-page 1875 letter from attorneys to the claimants of the Wayne Mining Co., on behalf of the owners of the Maria Ledge of the Victoria Gold & Silver Mining Co., regarding profits extracted on their mining property, should earn $400-$800.

A large, high-grade gold silver ore specimen from the Buckskin Mine in Nevada, 5 inches by 3 inches by 3 inches of banded quartz with aguilarite, nominate and possibly some ruby silvers and native gold, is estimated reach $600-$1,500; while a 448-gram gold ore slab from the Cannon Mine in Wenatchee, Washington, about 6 ¼ inches by 3 inches, showing the characteristic banded structure with visible gold and electrum alloy of the ore, should finish at $525-$1,500.

Day 2 – on Sunday, February 19th – will feature 722 lots of gaming and tobacciana, jewelry, stocks and bonds, transportation, philatelic, military and firearms, Native Americana & cowboy. Of these, stocks and bonds will probably command the most attention. Some sample lots are as follows. These certificates are visually beautiful, with vignettes, and have officers’ signatures.

• Indiana Gold & Silver Mining Co. (Virginia) stock certificate #106 from 1863, for 10 shares, signed by legendary bully Bartholomew Shay as secretary (est. $600-$1,000).
• A pair of stock certificates for the Red Mountain Railroad, Mining & Smelting Co. (Arizona), 1910 and 1911, for mines located in Red Mountain, Colo. (est. $600-$1,000).
• Green Gold & Silver Mining Company (Colo.) stock certificate from 1865, signed by mining superintendent D. J. Oullahan of the Gold Hill Broom Rangers (est. $400-$700).
• Lady Jane Gold & Silver Mining Co. (Aurora, Nev.) stock certificate #54 from 1863 for 25 shares. Lady Jane was a patented mine and one of the richest veins (est. $400-$700).
• Mayflower Gold & Silver stock certificate datelined 1861 in San Francisco, for 20 shares. Mayflower was in California, Utah or Nevada when it was incorporated (est. $450-$800).
• Julia Hunter Gold and Silver Mining Co. (Austin/Lander, Nev.) stock certificate #39, datelined San Francisco 1863, with power of attorney revenue stamp (est. $300-$500).
• Extremely rare Fourth of July (Mining) Co. (Montana) stock certificate from 1891, for 200 shares, with an 1878 Morgan silver dollar vignette front and back (est. $110-$500).
• Liebig Gold Mining & Mill Co. (Clear Creek County, Colo.) stock certificate #283 for 400 shares, dated April 28, 1866 and in excellent condition for its age (est. $300-$500).
• Original Croesus Gold and Silver Mining Co. (Unionville, Nev.) stock certificate #215 for 12 shares from Oct. 1864, with a miner on his way to work vignette (est. $300-$400).
• Big Stick Gold Mining Co. (Ariz.) stock certificate #443 for 200 shares dated 1908. Big Stick was named for Teddy Roosevelt’s “Speak softly and carry” quote (est. $220-$400).

In an “autopilot” auction, folks can start bidding absentee right now, per usual, but only through iCollector.com, Holabird’s preferred auction platform. For help registering or placing bids, they can call 775-851-1859. On auction dates, they will be able to join the live auction console, place bids and watch the lots progress, but there won’t be an audio/video feed or person on a podium.

Once a lot opens, there will be a 20-second countdown. If a bid is placed during the countdown, the timer is reset. Each live bid resets the timer. Once the countdown runs out, the lot will be sold and the next lot will come up with the same settings. “It’s up to bidders to keep the action going, but we’ll be watching and cheering you on,” said Holabird’s president and owner Fred Holabird.

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, and the two-day auction titled Treasures from the Shelves, on February 18th and 19th at 8 am Pacific time both days, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com.

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