Reno, NV, USA, April 23, 2025 -- Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC will hold a four-day “Mint State” Americana & Numismatics Auction on Friday, May 2nd, thru Monday, May 5th, starting at 8am Pacific time each day. The first three days are live sessions, online and in the Reno gallery. May 5th is a timed-only session; bids can be placed online, in-person or over the phone with an agent.
Notably, in the week following the auction, Holabird will have a booth at the Grass Valley Old West Show, May 8-10, at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, Calif. It’s considered the best Western Americana show in the U.S. “We’ll be there, ready to discuss your collectibles and take in items for our future auctions,” said Fred Holabird of Holabird Western Americana Collections. “It’s a great event with the best and friendliest Americana dealers in the country.”
As for the auction, the name ‘Mint State’ is “a nod to the fabulous numismatic section in this sale,” Mr. Holabird remarked. “It will be led by material from the Fred Weinberg numismatic ephemera collection, along with many rare coins and medals. Mint state is the highest rating in numismatics. It also perfectly describes the other unique historical collectibles up for bid.”
There are several important collections in the auction. The Fred Weinberg collection features rare documents and ephemera, including rare early US Mint material (such as the 1796 last will and testament of David Rittenhouse, the first Director of the US Mint), early correspondence from Robert Patterson (the 6th Mint Director), plus reports, documents, catalogs and newspapers.
Also offered will be hundreds of Western bottles, ghost town finds and associated collectibles from the collection of Mike Polak, nicknamed the “Bottle King” and “Tonopah Mike.” Mr. Polak authored the book Antique Trader Bottles: Identification and Price Guide prior to his 2024 death. Polak’s bottles will kick off the auction on Day 1; less expensive pieces will be in Day 4.
The Sierra Nevada History Collection will showcase a partial autograph letter signed by John Muir, the famed conservationist and “Father of the National Parks,” written in 1872 from his cabin in Yosemite; early Nevada pieces tied to Mark Twain; and an incredible circa 1870 bird’s-eye view photograph of Carson City, Nevada, with the newly built Carson City Mint in view.
The auction will present the first in a planned series of sales dedicated to the Pinetop Arizona Museum Collection, filled with fun and unique Western collectibles, such as vintage advertising signs (including Coca-Cola); Western-style vintage furnishings; Native American art; rugs and weavings; cowboy collectibles (spurs, saddles, chaps); a huge cap gun and gun belt collection; Buddy L toy trucks; an 1880 Colt cast iron cap pistol; and a rare Buffalo Bill cast iron toy pistol.
Minerals and mining collectibles on Days 2 and 4 will feature fossil and mineral specimens from the Chunlin Zhu Collection; large gold specimens from Canada (Yukon and Timmins), Arizona (Meadview), and California (Sierra County); and rare assay ephemera (California and Nevada), such as an invoice for a gold dust shipment on the ship the S.S. Panama from September 1849.
Other minerals and mining items will include a large Grass Valley/Nevada County Collection (photographs, documents and mining artifacts); Comstock ephemera; a stunning Atlantic Giant Powder Works mammoth plate photo, circa 1878; and explosive-related and mine lighting lots.
Day 1 will feature a rare discovery piece: a clay whiskey jug for Joe Barra, who owned the Weiland Saloon in Reno, Nevada before heading down to Tonopah/Goldfield. Be sure to read Fred Holabird’s original research essay on this bottle, which will generate huge bidder interest.
General Americana on Days 1 and 4 will highlight rare documents (Tahoe and Nevada); books; photographs; maps (including a 1600s map showing California as an island); Hollywood collectibles; hard goods (including advertising signs); four National Cash Registers; Western furnishings (including an Art Nouveau style hall bureau with mirror); and a Mills slot machine.
Rare coins and medals in the Days 3 and 4 numismatics section (in addition to the Fred Weinberg collection) will include gold coins, Morgan dollars, slug facsimiles, Canadian coppers, tokens, scrip, and a huge selection of medals, pinbacks and exonumia from several collectors.
The Native Americana and cowboy collectibles on Day 2 will showcase a fantastic selection of points/arrowheads from Texas and the Midwest; a spectacular Yaqi deer dancer ceremonial ironwood statue; gorgeous rugs and weavings; a 14k gold masterpiece spiderweb turquoise bracelet custom made by Tom Willeto of Laguna, New Mexico; and a small but fun cowboy group that includes nine saddles, plus cowboy apparel (hats, belt buckles, spurs and chaps).
Day 3 transportation collectibles will feature a collection of car vases; automotive advertising signs; and early aviation postcards. Railroadiana items include railroad passes and ephemera, such as a ticket to a midnight dance on the Big Tree stage near Santa Cruz; a mammoth plate photo of CPPR Engine 229; Colorado railroad brochures and signs; stage tickets; and ephemera.
Day 4 is a timed-only session, meaning there won’t be an audio/video feed with an auctioneer at a podium. Holabird officials will be monitoring the progress, but the auction is controlled by the computers and the bidders, with each lot opening for a short period that gets extended with live bids. “This is a format we implemented a few years ago, to great success,” Mr. Holabird said.
“Be sure to use the Keyword Search Tool on our website to search for items in your collecting categories across all sections,” advised Mr. Holabird. “You can also search past sales, too. If you’ve never bid in one of our timed sales (that occur every couple of months), please reach out to us with any questions. We can also place absentee bids for you before the sessions starts.”
Telephone and absentee bids will be accepted. Color catalogs are available by calling 1-844-492-2766, or 775-851-1859.
To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections and the four-day “Mint State” Americana & Numismatics Auction on Friday, May 2nd, thru Sunday, May 5th, starting at 8am Pacific time each day, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted frequently.
About Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC:
Anyone owning a collection that might fit into a Holabird Western Americana Collections auction is encouraged to get in touch. The company has agents all over America and will travel to inspect most worthy collections. To consign a single piece or a collection, you may call Fred Holabird at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766; or, send an e-mail to fredholabird@gmail.com. To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC, visit www.holabirdamericana.com.
