Skip to content
Riehn Hemme silver watch fob ingot. Charles F. Riehn and August Hemme opened an assaying business in late 1862 or early 1863 in San Francisco. This watch fob ingot was dug from an outhouse site of a mining camp in Sierra County by the owner's husband many years ago. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Holabird-Kagin Americana.

Holabird-Kagin sale laden with mining & minerals, June 28-30

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Riehn Hemme silver watch fob ingot. Charles F. Riehn and August Hemme opened an assaying business in late 1862 or early 1863 in San Francisco. This watch fob ingot was dug from an outhouse site of a mining camp in Sierra County by the owner's husband many years ago. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Holabird-Kagin Americana.
Riehn Hemme silver watch fob ingot. Charles F. Riehn and August Hemme opened an assaying business in late 1862 or early 1863 in San Francisco. This watch fob ingot was dug from an outhouse site of a mining camp in Sierra County by the owner’s husband many years ago. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Holabird-Kagin Americana.

RENO, Nev. – Holabird-Kagin Americana is gearing up for another massive sale of rare and collectible Western Americana, numismatica and historical ephemera. The Reno-based business realized approximately $1 million for their March “Golden West” Auction held in Sacramento, where the world-famous “Washington Gold Nugget” brought $400,000 on the auction floor, and garnered international attenion. Now Holabird-Kagin Americana is proud to present “Mining, Minerals and Mayhem,” a three-day auction scheduled for June 28-30 at the Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno. LiveAuctionees will provide Internet live bidding.

Over 2,300 lots will hit the auction block and the sale will feature several rare and collectible precious metal ingots, an unparalleled mineral specimen collection, an original George Hearst signed stock certificate, and one of the most comprehensive Bodie Collections ever compiled (over 140 lots, including an original constable badge). In addition to an impressive numismatic section, there are hundreds of Western mining stock certificates, including a large Bullfrog and Death Valley section and a expansive Colorado section of Clear Creek, Cripple Creek and Leadville, plus many more, along with an eclectic mix of mining ephemera.

Also included in the sale will be an original circa 1870s bullion punch from the Carson City Mint and a Bryan money collection featuring political and money ephemera from 1896, one of the most contested periods in American monetary history. Some of the highly sought after ingots up for grabs are the Tri-Bullion Mining Co .5-ounce gold pendant, the William Sharon 1876 Silver Dinner Ingot, the Ophir and Savage Silver Ingots, the Riehn Hemme Silver Watch Fob Ingot and the Harvey Harris Silver & Gold Presentation Assay Ingot, all spectacular examples of the resplendence of the great Western mining booms, the resultant explosion of the banking and financial industry, and the millionaires and tycoons who made history.

Offered for sale for the first time is the Gottschalk Western Ore Specimen Collection, consisting of approximately 275 lots, more than 2,500 pieces of some of the rarest and most spectacular ore specimens, ore minerals and rare ore mineral species from around the world, with an emphasis on the Comstock Lode (with over 700 Bonanza grade ore specimens) and also a vast selection from Bodie, Goldfield, Tonopah, Colorado and Montana. Collectors will also find a plethora of rare bottles such as the cobalt blue owl poison bottle collection and soda bottles from Nevada and Arizona.

The auction is expected to gross well over $1 million and promises the same excitement that has become a hallmark of the company’s recent sales. The auction is free and open to the public, so it’s a great chance to catch up on mining history and maybe even own some. For more information call Holabird-Kagin Americana at 877-852-8822 or go to www.HolabirdAmericana.com and click the Mining, Minerals & Mayhem link.

altView the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

French slot machine, 1911, made by Bussoz Constructor Bre SGDG., 27 Rue Condorcet, Paris. Estimate: $5,000-$10,000. Image courtesy of Holabird-Kagin Americana.
French slot machine, 1911, made by Bussoz Constructor Bre SGDG., 27 Rue Condorcet, Paris. Estimate: $5,000-$10,000. Image courtesy of Holabird-Kagin Americana.
Tonopha, Nye County, Nev., 1907 gold nugget watch fob. Estimate: $500-$750. Image courtesy of Holabird-Kagin Americana.
Tonopha, Nye County, Nev., 1907 gold nugget watch fob. Estimate: $500-$750. Image courtesy of Holabird-Kagin Americana.
Virginia City, Storey County, Nev., silver ingot pair from the Ophir mine, 1868 and 1876. The ingots, once owned by George F. Ford, secretary of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, were discovered this year in an Eastern estate. Estimate: $15,000-$30,000. Image courtesy of Holabird-Kagin Americana.
Virginia City, Storey County, Nev., silver ingot pair from the Ophir mine, 1868 and 1876. The ingots, once owned by George F. Ford, secretary of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, were discovered this year in an Eastern estate. Estimate: $15,000-$30,000. Image courtesy of Holabird-Kagin Americana.
Miniature ore cart, Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif., 1860s, gold and gold quartz, 115.6 grams. Estimate: $13,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Holabird-Kagin Americana.
Miniature ore cart, Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif., 1860s, gold and gold quartz, 115.6 grams. Estimate: $13,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Holabird-Kagin Americana.