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Holabird Western Americana Collections Big Bonanza Results

RENO, NV – A historic document from 1859, dating to the very begin- for travel “Going West” to Rev. Henry Ward Beecher and his wife and
ning of the Comstock Lode silver rush in the U.S. and including mention signed by CP Huntington, as vice-president of Central Pacific Railroad of
of the most important mining claim—the Ophir—sold for $16,875 at a California and one of its four founders ($3,875).
four-day Big Bonanza auction held March 30th thru April 2nd by • An early, unissued 1859 pass for the Great Northern Railway (which
Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC, online and live in operated in Ontario 1853-1882), with a beautiful design and vignette of
Holabird’s Reno gallery. a train crossing a bridge ($1,250).
The Comstock Lode was a lode of silver ore located under the • A Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers pin badge with six stones
eastern slope of Mount Davidson, in Virginia City, NV (then western (an emerald, a ruby and four diamonds), issued to Oscar L. Crockett, a
Utah Territory). It was the first major discovery of silver ore in the United conductor from 1873-1891 ($1,625).
States and was named after American miner Henry Comstock. The Day 2, on March 31st, featured art, militaria and firearms, and stocks
discovery, in 1859, sparked a big silver rush of prospectors to the area, all and bonds (to include mining, featuring the Comstock collection, railroad
scrambling to stake their claims. and miscellaneous), for a total of 548 lots.
The auction overall contained over 2,000 lots in many categories that One of the Day 2 top lots was a Winchester Model 1876 .45-.60
included mining, philatelic, numismatic, railroad, Native Americana and caliber buffalo gun with a 28-inch octagonal barrel, Winchester’s answer
more. Part 1 focused on mining stock certificates, ore specimens, to the Sharps rifle for hunting buffalo. The gun sold had serial # 14871
ephemera and publications. Most were offered on Day 4. The session also and both “1’s” looked like hoof prints, with a birthdate of Jan. 1881
featured a spectacular Comstock “Wash-Oh!” illustrated lettersheet from ($6,000). Otherwise, old, visually arresting stock certificates were what
1860, drawn and engraved by TC Boyd (San Francisco) and with a bidders coveted, including these:
vignette showing a natty prospector (or mine investor) about to meet the • Rare stock certificate No. 9 for the Colorado-Philadelphia Reduction
devil in a cornucopia ($5,750). Company, dated Aug. 14, 1899 in the amount of 33,250 shares, issued
Day 4 ore specimens included a 55-pound boulder of Comstock to Charles Penrose, an officer of the company, and signed by two other
silver-gold ore, reportedly found in the basement of the Virginia City, NV officers, Charles Tutt and Charles MacNeill ($2,125).
Bonanza Club in the 1980s, 16 inches by 13 inches by 10 inches ($4,375); • Very early stock certificate No. 2288 for the Sierra Nevada Silver
and a cut and polished slab of gold-in-quartz ore from Goldfield, Nevada Mining Company (incorporated when the Comstock was still part of the
(Esmeralda County), 51.4 grams ($3,500). Wyatt and Virgil Earp both Utah Territory), datelined San Francisco 1866, issued to Thomas Quinn
spent time in Goldfield. for 10 shares, signed by officers ($750).
Day 1, on March 30th, featured railroadiana and steamship (including Day 3, on April 1st, featured Native Americana, numismatics (includ-
railroad and steamer passes and transportation ephemera); bottles, brew- ing Nevada banknotes); and philatelic (Express and U.S. covers, U.S.
ing and saloon items; and general Americana (including political, jewelry, stamps; and foreign stamps and covers); 531 lots in all.
musical instruments, tobacco and gaming, sports, miscellaneous). A group of 23 mostly canceled Columbian Expo stamps from around
Railroad and steamer ship collectibles were a big hit with collectors. Top 1893, in denominations ranging from one cent to five dollars with a few
lots included these: duplicates, the paper money fairly well centered, overall a nice complete
• An 1870 Central Pacific Railroad pass No. 511, issued in New York set, hammered for $3,375. A U.S. $10,000 gold certificate (Fr. 1225),
cancelled and not redeemable, printed in Washington, D.C. and dated
May 3, 1917, with the signatures of Teehee and Burke as register and
treasurer, very attractive with bright white paper, hit $2,875. In the Native
American category, a beaded buckskin vest made for a small child circa
1870s-1880s, the buckskin base fully lazy-stitched with red, blue, green
and turquoise glass beads, framed in a Plexiglas box, reached $2,375.
A U.S. gold piece struck at the Philadelphia mint in 1947 for the Arab
American Oil Company (ARAMCO), as payment to the Saudi Arabian
government for its oil rights, 30mm in diameter and weighing 32 grams,
changed hands for $2,770; while a gold coin minted in Santiago, Chile in
1792 for 8 Escudos, a bust of Charles III on the obverse, one of 38,000
minted, made $2,250.
Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC is always seeking new
and major collections to bring to market. 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, visit www.holabir-
damericana.com. Updates are posted often.

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