Press Release

Reno, NV, USA, November 11, 2024 -- Holabird Western Americana Collections’ massive, seven-day Autumn Gold Auction planned for November 21st thru 27th is bursting with more than 4,300 lots in a wide selection of unique items and rare collectibles that includes numismatics, gold, minerals, fine art, antique furniture, political memorabilia, philatelic, jewelry, toys, tokens, medals and more.

It will be a hybrid sale of sorts. The first four days (Nov. 21-24) will be held online and live in Holabird’s gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive (Suite 308) in Reno. The last three days (Nov. 25-27) will be an online-only, automated timed sale, with absentee bidding in advance as usual. The bidding on each lot will end and close after there has been no bidding for about 20 seconds.

“This is one of our largest auctions, moving into new territory in the field of Americana, with thousands of lots,” said Fred Holabird, the president and owner of Holabird Western Americana Collections. “Opening bids range from about $40 to $10,000 or more.” To manage their way through the catalog, Holabird recommends viewing the table of contents in the Virtual Catalog.

That can be accomplished by logging on to https://online.pubhtml5.com/esfe/ntoe/#p=1. Online bidding is on iCollector.com, Invaluable.com, Auctionzip.com and LiveAuctionbeers.com. Start times all seven days are 8am Pacific time. As for what’s in the auction, Mr. Holabird said there is “just about everything imaginable. You name it, it’s probably in the sale in one form or another.”

One lot in particular expected to draw keen bidder interest will come on Day 4. It’s lot #4001, the Carson City (Nev.) Branch Mint Troemmer special bullion balance scale used from 1870-1893. The 31-inch-tall balance was built into a waist-high table for ease of use at the Mint. The set, with two framed signs, was on display at the Nugget Casino in Nevada for about 70 years. It’s the most important numismatic artifact to surface in many decades (est. $25,000-$50,000).

Along with the scales is lot 4000: John Ascuaga’s solid silver pig he was presented, honoring his involvement in the 25th Nugget Rib Cookoff, the largest such event in the world, held in 2013. Artist Brad Rude was commissioned in 2013 by Ascuaga's Nugget Casino and Resort to create the figural ingot, which weighs 102 troy silver ounces and should hammer for $10,000-$15,000.

Crystalline gold and nuggets from identifiable locations all over the West in two collections will come up for bid. One collection comes from the “Nugget Ace” who may well be the best nugget metal detectorist in America. He specialized in gold from the Inyo County region. Having found more than 6,000 nuggets over the past 50 years, he has brought Holabird many significant finds.

“I’ve included online a copy of an 1870 map of the Alabama Hills showing gold prospects,” Mr. Holabird said. “Some of the locations were found by members of the famous Manley Death Valley ‘49er party. There are nearly 100 lots of gold specimens and nuggets.” A nice collection of US gold coins, many graded MS65 (and an important ingot) highlight the numismatic section.

Session 7, on the auction’s final day, will feature two major philatelic collections, plus a dozen or more smaller collections – perfect for the expert collector as well as the beginner. Several of these collections were collected prior to World War I and include seldom seen rarities. The session also includes worldwide and domestic covers, first day covers and philatelic collectibles.

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