Press Release

Reno, NV, USA, December 1, 2023 -- Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC is saving the best for last in 2023 as it gears up for what is expected to be their biggest sale of the year – a Christmas Chronicles auction, a four-day mega-event packed with over 2,500 lots in a variety of collecting categories, online and live in the Reno gallery at 3555 Airway Drive, starting at 8 am Pacific time each day.

“The Christmas Chronicles auction is our grand finale event of 2023 and we've included every collecting category as a Christmas thank-you for our valued customers,” said Fred Holabird of Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. The categories include saloon, bottles, brewery, mining, numismatics, philatelic, general Americana, stocks and bonds, fine art, display minerals, vintage toys and more; something for every level of collector, from novices to seasoned veterans.

The auction is also loaded with brand new, fresh-to-market items, featuring collectibles from The Robert Coelln Western Collection, The Jan Garvis Mining Collection, The Franklin Collection, The Herzog Collection, The Chunlin Zhu Natural Wonders Collection, The Gary Bracken General Store Collection, plus many others. Serious collectors need to mark their calendars now.

Day 1, on Thursday, December 7th, contains 555 lots of art, photography, Native American art, imported collectibles, home items, souvenir plates, silverware, jewelry, Native American artifacts, maps, books, entertainment and musical instruments – a strong start to the auction.

Day 1 star lots include a four-piece group that features a gold necklace with a gold nugget engraved in gold, “George’s Gulch 1909” (no doubt a trophy for its owner); 8.3-gram and 1.7-gram gold nuggets with quartz; and a 12.2-gram gold watch chain (est. $5,000-$9,000); and a stunning Blue Montana sapphire and diamond lady’s two-ring set on white gold, both a size 5. The set was designer custom made less than five years ago and is like-new (est. $7,000-$8,000).

Also offered on Day 1 is an authentic, hand-made Nez Perce buckskin, beaded, ceremonial dress boasting beautiful detailed beadwork in a rainbow of colors, made by V. Morris, a native Nez Perce woman born in 1900, about 52 inches long (est. $6,000-$12,000); and a handwritten Italian manuscript of the controversial late 1600s Ecumenical farce, titled “Il Capitolo dei Frati”, by Sebastiano Chiesa, possibly the first copy of his final 17th century draft (est. $10,000-$30,000).

Day 2, on Friday, December 8th, is loaded with 587 lots of minerals, mining, cowboy, bottles, saloon, tobacciana, gaming, firearms and weapons, military items and political memorabilia.

Leading the way on Day 2 is a beautiful leather beaded belt and two pistol holsters likely worn by a Native American performer in a Miller Brothers Wild West show at the 101 Ranch, near Stillwater, Okla. (est. $20,000-$50,000); and one of only a few known photos of John Henry Holliday, better known as Doc Holliday, along with his longtime companion Kate Horony, better known as "Big Nose Kate", an historical 1870s tintype in nice condition (est. $7,000-$15,000).

Also up for bid is a large quartz crystal discovered in Placerville, California more than a decade ago, comprising five large crystals, 6 to 12 inches in diameter, flanked by slightly smaller crystals, including a group off to the side of very clear quartz (est. $5,000-$10,000); and a group of mining papers with approximated counts from Missouri Mining Co., 1917; Eastern Mine and Mill, c. 1902; Keystone Mining, 1888; Montana Mining Company; and others (est. $200-$400).

Day 3, on Saturday, December 9th, contains nearly 600 lots of sports, tokens, badges, coins, numismatics, currency, ephemera, ingots, exonumia and medals, SS Central America items, transportation, general collectibles, tools, general store and geographically sorted ephemera.

To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC, and the four-day Christmas Chron

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