RENO, Nev. – A five-day Wigwam Auction – a celebration of the country’s Great Basin Native American heritage, highlighted by the Moe and Mary Royels Great Basin Wigwam Collection – will be held Thursday to Monday, March 7th -11th, by Holabird Western Americana Collections, online and in Holabird’s spacious gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive (Suite #308) in Reno.

Start times all five days will be 8 am PST. A two-day office preview will be held March 5th and 6th, from 9-5 (or by appointment). For those unable to attend the sale in person, online bidding will be facilitated by iCollector.com and Invaluable.com. The items in the Royels’ collections reflect the rich history the state of Nevada enjoys in the unique place known as the Great Basin.

The Wigwam Collection is a fantastic array of Native American collectibles, art and artifacts. A number of items (mainly dresses) were made especially for Mary Royels, plus a few for Moe, by local Paiute friends. The collections include baby baskets, beaded baskets, art depicting early man in the Great Basin by William Moore, stone artifacts, moccasins and stone projectile points.

Two other important collections round out this large Native American offering: a wonderful collection of choice Native American art and a massive collection of vintage Native American postcards, so large it will be spread out over one or two more Holabird auctions (in May and possibly July). In all, the March 7-11 Wigwam Auction will comprise around 3,000 choice lots.

Day 1, on Thursday, March 7th, will feature rare vintage bottles (165 lots); saloon items (9 lots); cowboy collectibles (34 lots); firearms and weaponry (26 lots); gaming collectibles (10 lots); and numismatic items, to include books, checks, coins, dies, ephemera, medals, “so-called” dollars, tokens and more. Over 500 lots – a full auction by itself – will cross the auction block on Day 1.

Day 1 highlights will include a very rare Elko, Nevada Coca-Cola bottle from 1923 (est. $3,000-$3,500); a circa 1880s-1890s Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Santa Maria, Calif.) seltzer bottle, in superb condition (est. $500-$1,000); a blue circa 1890-1900 seltzer bottle from the Reno (Nev.) Brewing Company (est. $500-$1,000); a Montana Exposition Fund token from 1915 (est. $200-$400); and a 1907 Tercentennial of Jamestown (Va.) “so-called dollar” token (est. $300-$600).

Day 2, on Friday. March 8th, will be packed with 550 lots of Americana, to include advertising and apparel, art, books and directories, calendars, the entertainment industry, Gold Rush, postal history, military, political, military, Wells Fargo & Express, silverware, flatware, non-mining stock certificates, toys and World’s Fair. Also sold will be bargains, dealer specials and foreign.

Day 2 highlights will include two historic and valuable Reyes Family land grant plat maps for the first adobe houses in downtown Los Angeles, Calif., from 1888 (est. $4,000-$8,000); a 1773 porcelain French Napoleonic “love letter” box discovered in San Francisco in the 1970s (est. $5,000-$6,000); and a pair of men’s Western-themed gold-in-quartz cufflinks (est. $300-$500).

Other Day 2 feature lots will include an electromechanical early Western Union signal device, for connecting a place of business with a Western Union dispatch center (est. $250-$400); a Meiggs Wharf Company (San Francisco, Calif.) unissued stock certificate from 1874 (est. $300-$800); and a stock certificate (5 shares) for the famous 1876 Centennial Expo (est. $800-$2,000).

Day 3, Saturday, March 9th, will contain Part 1 of the Native Americana, to include artwork, apparel, gloves, moccasins, accessories, jewelry, trade beads, artifacts, pipes, dies and baby baskets – 522 lots in all. Also sold that day will be 52 lots of artwork, for a total of 604 lots.

Day 3 highlights will include a vivid original acrylic painting by Jerry Whitehead, titled We Are Close, a wonderful example of the artist’s unique style and his signature focus on powwows and powwow dancers (est. $10,000-$12,000); and a bronze statue of a Native American on horseback by Charles Humphriss, titled The Warrior (circa 1904), 16 ¼ inches tall (est. $6,500-$9,000).

Other Day 3 top lots will include a lithograph showing two Native Americans riding toward a large and colorful rainbow, titled Along the Rainbow Trail, by the noted artist Earl Bliss (est. $2,200-$3,200); the aforementioned print by William A. Moore, titled Paiute Heritage, signed and a fine expression of Native American art, framed (est. $1,000-$2,000); and a snow owl kachina in a glass case by Kachada Bakabi Wintereagle (Ariz.), dated 1979 (est. $500-$1,000).

Day 4, on Sunday, March 10th, will feature Part 2 of the Native Americana, to include pottery, baskets, dolls, books, photographs, postcards, rugs and weavings, ephemera and collectibles. Also offered will be transportation (244 lots) and railroadiana (184 lots) – 301 total Day 4 lots.

Day 4 highlights will include a large and historic Yokuts woven fish trap, found near the San Joaquin River (Nev.), circa 1920-21 (est. $2,000-$3,000); a beautifully crafted Paiute beaded zig-zag basket by Betty Rogers of Schurz, Nevada (est. $300-$500); an historic conical-shaped burden basket from the early 20th century (est. $2,000-$3,000); and a Railway Express Agency policeman’s badge, shaped as a six-pointed star and possibly a reproduction (est. $100-$250).

Day 5, on Monday, March 11th, will be dedicated to minerals (13 lots) and mining collectibles (578 lots). The mining portion will contain artifacts and assay, books, explosives, maps, mine lighting, signs, spoons, mining stocks, ephemera and collectibles – a dream day for collectors.

Day 5 top lots will include a Standard Signals mining sign, from the districts of Thunder Bay and Rainy River, 13 inches by 20 inches (est. $1,000-$2,000); a Coso Consolidated Mining Company (Calif.) stock certificate from 1937 for 20 shares (est. $1,000-$2,000); a letter sheet for “The Miners’ Ten Commandments”, an example of mining humor (est. $600-$1,200); and a very large silver ingot mold from the Comstock era in Virginia City, Nevada in the 1800s (est. $400-$600).

In addition to in-person and online bidding, telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

Color catalogs are available by calling 1-844-492-2766, or 775-851-1859. Also, anyone owning a collection that might fit into an upcoming Holabird Western Americana Collections auction is encouraged to get in touch. The firm travels extensively throughout the U.S., to see and pick up collections. Last year it visited Boston, Florida, Seattle and New York, among other destinations.

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 March 7th-11th auction, visit www.fhwac.com.

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