Press Release

Reno, NV, USA, September 5, 2024 -- Antique denim jeans and rare U.S. gold coins dominated the list of top lots at Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC’s American Treasures of the Past auction held August 22nd thru 25th, online and live in the Reno gallery. More than 2,100 lots in a rainbow of collecting categories came up for bid in an auction that ended up grossing a robust $1.3 million.

Antique denim pants as collectibles? Yes, when they were worn during the era of the 1800s mining days of the American West they can fetch dizzying dollars. The top earner of the general Americana category was a pair of button fly Mountaineer brand jeans from ZCMI of Salt Lake City. Discovered in a house in Utah as insulation lining the walls in 2024, the pants, with a Mormon connection, sold for $21,250.

A pair of AB Elfelt & Company Pioneer brand brown canvas pants with full label and buckle intact, plain buttons and blue wool factory lining, in nice condition, gaveled for $10,000; while a circa 1875-1880 pair of brown canvas standard pants by Neustatter Bros., a competitor of Levi Strauss & Co., a classic pair of “miner’s” pants meant for tough outdoor use, brought $16,875.

Not all the clothing were pants. Lot 3498 was a men’s denim jacket with no manufacturer’s label, but the style of the pocket stitch attachment at the top corner was very distinctive, and the only pattern that was close (and apparently the same) was SR Krouse, who used the stitch pattern on their rear pant pocket. The jacket, with four of the five button holes hand-stitched, hit $6,250.

As expected, the U.S. gold coins were runaway best-sellers. They were led by a 1908 Indian Head U.S. $5 gold proof coin, one of only 167 proof issues from that year. It went for $43,380. Also, a 1795 Capped Bust U.S. $5 gold coin, known as “America’s first gold coin”, designed by Robert Scot and an exceptionally rare Heraldic Eagle reverse $5 gold piece, realized $38,560.

A 13-leaf variety 1795 Capped Bust U.S. $10 gold coin, also designed by Scot, one of only 400-500 known and a coin George Washington wanted finished before he left office, made $25,305. Confederate States of America bank notes also did well, as a Type 3 $100 Montgomery issue note rose to $4,820, while a CSA Type 1 $1,000 note, both from May 1861, finished at $21,690.

The rest of the auction featured Native American jewelry, turquoise and raw Western gems, high-quality bronzes and Western oils from the Tahoe/Reno Western Art collection, Art Nouveau postcards, old Western bottles, Western antiquities and Chinese Eastern watercolors. Online bidding was provided by iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com.

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

Rare antique bottles featured a circa 1856-1858 Bordwell & Co. (Oroville, Calif.) green pontiled soda bottle, a newly discovered addition to the California Gold Rush soda bottle list ($5,312); and a very scarce S.H.M. (“Superior/Trade/Mark/Old Bourbon”) choice Western whiskey out of San Francisco, produced by the philanthropist J C Wilmerding, with no chips or cracks ($2,250).

An 1880 rail pass for the Corpus Christi, San Diego & Rio Grande Railroad, #189 issued to Jas. Converse, Esq., signed “U. Lott” (president), printed on tan card stock, achieved $5,937. Also, it doesn’t get any more Western than a token and real photo postcard for Soapy Smith’s Skagway Saloon in Mesa, Arizona (“Good For / 12c. / In Trade”), the round token circa 1970 ($1,187).

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 and their upcoming sales, visit www.holabirdamericana.com.

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