Native American jewelry trove leads Holabird Aug. 5-9 auction

RENO, Nev. – General George Armstrong Custer’s Civil War holster and gun belt, a photo diary of Pancho Villa with three books on the Mexican Revolution, and an 1898 prostitute’s license and photo from Tombstone, Arizona are a few of the more interesting items in Holabird Western Americana Collections’ Sizzling Summer Western Americana Auction, slated for August 5-9. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

The five-day sale features nearly 3,000 lots of Native Americana, philatelic (stamps) and numismatics (coins), militaria, railroad collectibles, Americana, mining memorabilia, stock certificates, and art. Bidding will start each day at 8 am Pacific time.

The August 5 session centers around Arizona and Colorado ephemera and will include 19th century photos and documents related to major mining camps, supplemented by gorgeous oil paintings of Native American and western scenes by Douglas Rosa. The framed cabinet card photo of prostitute “Amelia” with her business license should go for $5,000-$10,000.

In addition to the 1898 prostitute’s license and photo, another Day 1 super lot is the spectacular large bronze plaque celebrating Charles Lindbergh’s famous first flight across the Atlantic in 1927, made by sculptor and painter Julius T. Gutzwa (Meriden, Conn., 1891-1956). The plaque is one of only two known and is in extra fine to uncirculated condition. It carries an estimate of $3,000-$6.000.

The five-day auction lineup also contains a major collection related to the Mexican War and Pancho Villa, including the photo-diary by Arizona photographer Walter Horne, plus three books on the Mexican Revolution, collectively estimated at $25,000-$50,000. The militaria section is equally phenomenal, highlighted by General Custer’s holster and gun belt, estimated at $60,000-$90,000.

A California collection of Native American jewelry comprises more than 400 incredible pieces of fine, artistic silver and turquoise jewelry, much of it museum-quality and accumulated during several decades. The main part of the collection is represented by bolos from the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. There are also necklaces, bracelets, rings, belt buckles, and brooches.

The California collection also includes jewelry from the Navajo, Santo Domingo Pueblo and the Hopi – amazing pieces of jewelry from many Native people. “Bidders will have a difficult time deciding on which to choose from for their collections,” said Fred Holabird, owner of Holabird Western Americana Collections, adding, “Also, for Western bolo tie collectors, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, the largest sale of its kind ever held.”

A couple of noteworthy Day 3 jewelry lots include a Rainbow Man knifewing bolo by Myra and Homer Vacit, circa 1940s-1950s, with stamped silver edging, estimated at $1,200-$1,800, and an incredible vintage No. 8 Mine turquoise jewelry set (Navajo Reservation, Arizona) boasting a magnificent squash blossom necklace with 12 squash blossoms, estimated at $3,000-$5,000.

Expected star lots on Day 4 will include a 1982 painting of Native Americans on horseback, titled Too Many Guns, by the Hungarian-American artist Americo Makk (1927-2015),  and a U.S. one dollar gold coin, produced by Christopher Bechtler around 1838. Bechtler’s coins were accepted across the Southeast. Both of the lots have pre-sale estimates of $5,000-$10,000.

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.

 

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