Press Release

Reno, NV, USA, February 21, 2025 -- Fresh off a successful three-day Desert Riches Auction held live and online from January 31st thru February 3rd, Holabird Western Americana Collections will follow that up with a three-day Pioneers & Patriots Auction beginning March 1st and ending March 3rd. The first two days will be online and live in the Reno, Nevada gallery; March 3rd will be a timed-only session.

Start times all three days will be 8am Pacific time. Around 1,700 lots will come up for bid across the three days, in collecting categories that include Americana, militaria, mining, numismatics, Wild West, philatelic and more. Bids can be placed in-person (March 1-2), online (via the three platforms iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com), or by phone with an agent.

“We chose the name ‘Pioneers & Patriots’ to honor notable Western figures such as lawmen, outlaws, generals and presidents, as well as military figures from conflicts such as the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Mexican Revolution and the French Revolution,” said Fred Holabird, president and owner of Holabird Western Americana Collections. “We expect a great auction.”

Day 1, on Saturday, March 1st, contains over 500 lots dedicated to general Americana; minerals (including gold and turquoise) and mining; and stock certificates.

The minerals section on Day 1 has a Calaveras County gold ingot, a handful of California gold nugget lots, and even a stunning gold ring made by the ‘Nugget Ace’ collector who found so many of the gold specimens Holabird has sold recently. There is also a large batch of Nevada turquoise, split into lots based on color, size and quality.

The mining category has important references to mining; rare Nevada documents (including lot 1400, a letter about silver bars stolen from an Austin, Nevada stagecoach; and lot 1418, a rare Comstock autograph). Also offered will be ephemera from California, Colorado and Montana.

The general Americana on Day 1 will feature a diverse selection, to include rare sports Hall of Famer autographs; an 1860 world globe (lot 1044); rare references, maps, photos and documents; a 1914 National Cash register (lot 1112); rare early Ohio ephemera; a large selection of cameras; a Mills Bell-O-Matic slot machine (lot 1217); vintage toys; and more.

The sale features hundreds of lots of stock certificates and bonds from the Ken Prag collection. Categories include mining, railroad, Express, petroliana and more. Expected top lots include a choice early 1862 Inyo County mining stock (lot 1470); and rare autograph certificates, to include Otto Mears, Founding Father Robert Morris, Wells and Fargo, and William Sharon.

Day 2, on Sunday, March 2nd, will feature 478 lots of philatelic (featuring Art Nouveau); art (featuring Ansel Adams and Salvador Dali); Native Americana; cowboy and Wild West (featuring Custer and outlaws); political (US and foreign, to include Pancho Villa); militaria and weaponry (highlighted by the Civil War); and numismatics.

Day 2 has a choice group of rare documents and newspapers related to some of the most famous (and notorious) Western figures, including Buffalo Bill, Frank James, George Armstrong Custer, Butch Cassidy, Bill Dalton and Pat Garret. Lot 2217 is an 1881 edition of the Tombstone Daily Nugget that covers the details of the gunfight at the OK Corral.

To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections and the three-day Pioneers & Patriots Auction beginning March 1st and ending March 3rd, beginning at 8 am Pacific time each day, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com.

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