RENO, Nev. – Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC is gearing up for a huge three-day auction event December 1st, 2nd and 3rd, one that’s packed with over 2,200 lots of railroad passes, Express collectibles, Western and postal history, mining memorabilia, rare bottles, Americana and more, online and in Holabird’s gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive (Suite 308) in Reno.

Start times all three days will be 8 am Pacific time. Online bidding will be provided by the platforms iCollector.com, Invaluable.com, eBay Live and Auctionzip.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. A virtual catalog of the sale in its entirety, showing all lots, is up and online, at www.fhwac.com. Viewers can “flip” through each page and do keyword searches, too.

The Friday, December 1st session will get things started with 735 lots of tokens, numismatics, railroadiana, Wells Fargo and other Express, mining collectibles, postal history and philatelic, and gaming. The railroadiana will feature passes, books stocks and other ephemera, to include a rare London & North Western Railroad personalized leather pass from 1912 (est. $500-$1,000).

Numismatics will feature coins, checks, currency, medals and “so-called” dollars. A key lot is the nice, large-sized 1902 plain back $10 note from 1911 for the First National Bank of Ukiah, in Mendocino County, Calif. (est. $2,000-$4,000). An employee token from the Plumas Eureka Mines in Johnsonville, Calif., a rare token from a famous mine, should hammer for $400-$1,200.

Wells Fargo, American Express and other Express are hugely popular. A large, 60-piece archive of early Adams Express items, mostly from the 1860s and ‘70s, has a modest estimate of $300-$700. In the gaming category, a 75-piece collection of billiards and pool hall ephemera from the early 1900s, including Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. items, is expected to realize $200-$400.

Mining collectibles will include hard goods (such as candlesticks and signs), books, stocks and other ephemera, including a large (22 inch by 34 inch) map of Rawhide Mining District (Nev.) claims, printed by Sierra Engineering and compliments of Nevada Mining News, both in Reno (est. $500-$1,000). The philatelic and postal history category will feature an 1860 19-page report from the 36th U.S. Congress, 1st session; the subject: California Stagecoach Mail (est. $60-$100).

Day 2 – Saturday, December 2nd – will have 44 lots of rare and vintage bottles, to include a Barney Schow (Willits, Calif.) amber embossed whiskey fifth, in mint condition, never in the ground (est. $300-$500). General Americana, comprising 656 lots, will showcase jewelry, art, World’s Fair and Expositions memorabilia, political items, atlases, Black Americana, fire and more. An in-game photo of Babe Ruth with his faint signature should command $4,000-$8,000.

A group of fire-related photos and other items – a highlight being the dozen black and white photos on cloth backing, depicting products made by Fire Extinguisher Mfg. Co. (Chicago) should bring $1,000-$2,000. Foreign collectibles will include one lot of four maps, circa 1867-1870, one of the world and three of various countries in South America (est. $1,000-$2,000).

Day 3 – Sunday, December 3rd – will finish strong, to include 167 lots of firearms and weaponry, including ammunition, pistols and revolvers, rifles and shotguns, swords, scabbards, katanas and ephemera. A lot to watch is the Colt .45 caliber Frontier large frame, double-action revolver with a birds-head grip, made in 1886 and having most of its original Colt bluing (est. $3,500-$5,500).

Military items and war collectibles is another category collectors can’t seem to get enough of. Lots will represent multiple conflicts, such as the Rev-War and Civil, War, Spanish-American War and World Wars I and II. Certain to draw attention is the group of ten Civil War campaign maps from 1861-1864, all of them double-truck, multi-colored battle maps (est. $500-$1,000).

Native Americana will be brimming with 361 lots of Alaskan items (including ivory), artwork, baskets, beadwork, rugs and weavings, jewelry, kachinas, points and stone artifacts (including a large Georgia collection), and pottery. A Second Phase Navajo chief’s blanket, made by Navajo weaver Albert Jackson (near Cove, Ariz.), circa 1850s, framed, should make $10,000-$20,000.

The cowboy category will contain chaps, saddle bags, saddles, spurs and other items. A framed oil portrait of Pawnee Bill (Major Gordon Lillie, who operated a Wild West Show with his wife), circa 1880s, has an estimate of $2,000-$4,000. In taxidermy, a North American Elk shoulder mount, shot in Canada in the 1960s by geologist Tony Payne, should gavel for $1,000-$2,000.

Color catalogs are available on request, by calling toll-free, 1-844-492-2766, or 775-851-1859. Also, anyone owning a collection that might fit into an upcoming Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC auction is encouraged to get in touch. The firm travels extensively throughout the U.S., to pick up collections. It went to Boston and New York, among other places, this year.

Holabird Western Americana is always seeking quality bottle, advertising, Americana and coin consignments for future auctions. To consign a single piece or a collection, you may call Fred Holabird at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766; or, you can e-mail him at fredholabird@gmail.com. To learn more about Holabird Western Americana's Dec. 1st-2nd-3rd auction visit www.fhwac.com.

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