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Holabird’s 4-Day High-Grade Auction Results

RENO, NV – Five 19th century gold and silver ingots from the Gold city of Nevada and Grass Valley, California from 1861 by Hugh H.
Rush and Silver Rush sold for a combined $159,807 at a huge, Thompson (San Francisco), containing a history of the city, the names
four-day high-grade auction held June 15th through 18th by Holabird of its inhabitants, and other information, 128 pages, finished at $2,875.
Western Americana Collections, online and live in the gallery at 3555 Also, a remarkable archive from a legal Nevada prostitute, Kathy
Airway Drive (Suite 308) in Reno, Nevada. The sale featured nearly Eastland (aka “Destyny”), who collected memorabilia and photographs
2,000 lots of mining collectibles, railroadiana, numismatics, Native and from her 15 years working the “ranches” (circa 1998-2003) changed
general Americana, philatelic, bottles, stocks, bonds, sports and art. hands for $5,750.
But it was the ingots (blocks of steel, gold, silver, or other metal, A copy of a guide for pioneers and prospectors titled Horn’s Overland
typically oblong in shape) that captured the attention of bidders. The Guide from 1852 from the U.S. Indian Sub-Agency,
top achiever was an 1880 Mathey, Kustel & Riotte silver ingot, the guide starting at Council Bluffs on the Missouri
which stood out from the others in terms of documented River and over land to Sacramento, California,
information, provenance, and history surrounding written by Hosea B. Horn and published by J. H.
the assayers whose names were on it. It is the Colton, made $5,500.
only known example from Mathey, Kustel & Anyone owning a collection that might fit into
Riotte and carried their logo punch and a Holabird Western Americana Collections
weighed 4.97 troy ounces ($42,175). auction is encouraged to get in touch. The firm
A close second was the 1883 Peck Mine travels throughout the U.S. and will travel to inspect
silver ingot from Prescott, in the Arizona most collections.
Territory; George Ralph, assayer. The mine was Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC is always seeking
discovered by Ed Peck in 1875. The ingot, new and major collections to bring to market. The firm will have its
trapezoidal in shape, was 4.52 troy ounces of silver fine entire sales database online soon, at no cost – nearly 200,000 lots sold
990 ($38,560). An important rectangular silver ingot made by Edward since 2014.
Ruhling and engraved by Nye & Company of Virginia City, Nevada in To consign a single piece or a collection, you may call Fred Holabird
1869 for William Sharon, the infamous King of the Comstock, at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766; or, you can send an
weighing 4.90 troy ounces, hit $37,500. email to fredholabird@gmail.com. To learn more about Holabird
A post-1890 silver and gold ingot from the Gould & Curry Silver Western Americana Collections and their calendar of events, visit
Mining Company in Virginia City (“14.85 oz, .0285 fine gold, value www.holabirdamericana.com.
$8.74; 963 fine silver, value $18.58”), showing the G & C bullion
punch, found a new owner for $23,497; while a Conrad Weigand
silver-gold ingot, No. 7091, 4.40 ounces of .558 fine silver and .0155
fine gold, different from other Conrad Weigand ingots and a classic
dore bar from a silver-gold deposit (plus probably copper), made $18,075.
Other highlights include a pictorial business card for the Cripple
Creek & Victor Stage Company in Colorado (“Do not miss a stage ride
over the mountains”) with a vignette of a six-horse Concord
stagecoach, appearing to date to 1898-1899, that brought $2,500. A
pair of original Revolutionary War drumsticks, owned by James
Baldwin, born in Saybrook, Middlesex County, Conn., with
provenance and a handwritten note from 1867, both 19 inches in
length, commanded $3,875.
This auction offered 513 lots of art and general Americana, including
a Wells Fargo agent letter from J. Hume regarding a Montana stage
robbery in 1885, along with supporting ancillary documents—an
important discovery from the man who caught the notorious outlaw
Black Bart—left the room for $3,875. A first edition directory of the

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52 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles