Press Release

Reno, NV, USA, August 9, 2024 -- Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC has held numerous monster four-day auctions in the past, but they’ve clearly raised the bar for the upcoming American Treasures of the Past auction planned for August 22nd thru 25th, online and live in the Reno gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive (Suite #308), starting promptly at 8 am Pacific time all four auction days.

A whopping 2,151 lots are slated to come up for bid, in categories that include Native American jewelry, coins and currency, turquoise and raw Western gems, high-quality bronzes and Western oils from the Tahoe/Reno Western Art collection, Art Nouveau post cards, Levi Strauss and miners’ pants, antique Western bottles, Western antiquities and Chinese Eastern watercolors.

Day 1, on Thursday, August 22nd, will feature 537 lots of general Americans billheads and maps, railroadiana, transportation, antique bottles, silverwares, sports memorabilia, medals and tokens.

The bottles category will be led by a beautiful example of an exceedingly rare and popular Western whiskey, the Thos. Taylor (Virginia City, Nev.), produced circa the 1860s and, as an applied top whiskey bottle, it is the only one from Nevada. It has an estimate of $8,000-$14,000. Also offered will be a new California soda discovery, a circa 1856-1858 Bordwell & Co. green pontiled soda bottle, produced in Oraville, Calif. The bottle is expected to bring $5,000-$10,000.

Day 2, on Friday, August 23rd, will contain a world-class collection of original vintage Art Nouveau postcards, cowboy collectibles, militaria, postal history (to include Wells Fargo & Express), and philatelic (covers/USA and worldwide, stamps/USA and zeppelin / Hindenberg).

The collection of Art Nouveau postcards includes a group of 38 postcards from the famous French poster artist Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939). The circa 1899-1900 postcards will be sold individually and are part of Mucha’s 4th series, first published in the literary journal Le Mois. Each image depicts one of the months of the year, showing a lady in appropriate seasonal dress.

Day 3, on Saturday, August 24th, will be especially busy, with 536 lots of art, Native Americana (to include jewelry), mining (to include turquoise and raw Western gems) and miners’ old pants.

An amazing collection of high-quality bronzes and Western oils from the Tahoe/Reno Western Art Collection is sure to ignite bidding wars. The world-class and stunning works will be led by a stunning, detailed bright and vibrant depiction of Indians on the trail, possibly an unfinished painting by the renowned Western artist CM Russell, circa 1912-1914 (est. $100,000-$200,000).

The bronzes group will be highlighted by a 1982 collaboration between the artists Gil Melton and Buckeye Blake, titled Faded Romance (9/12). The work, considered a masterpiece, measures 16 inches tall by 64 inches in length and depicts a stagecoach and a team of horses. It would be the true prize of any museum exhibit and weighs in at about 300 pounds (est. $20,000-$50,000).

A different genre of artwork will also be offered on Day 3 in the form of a fabulous selection from a private collection of Qin Wei (1911-1936), known in China as a “National Treasure”. Only one of his pieces resides today in an American museum. Twenty-five of Wei’s original watercolor paintings, all from the 1920s-1940s, will be sold, with estimates of $5,000-$15,000.

To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC and the upcoming American Treasures of the Past auction planned for August 22nd thru 25th, visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted often.

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