October-November 2025 Brings the Last of an Era

Here we are in the fall, and the mountain air here in Reno-Tahoe is spectacular at this time of year. The sunsets are frequently so colorful and majestic that we call them "Bierstadt sunsets," after the famous western landscape artist Albert Bierstadt. His western paintings can be found in many of the great American art museums from New York to Colorado to California.

We've got our own form of special western paintings coming in this upcoming sale, six world-class western paintings by Dan Cody Muller, Buffalo Bill Cody's adopted son, including a painting that may have been part of the inspiration for Stan Jones song "Ghost Riders in the Sky". Don't miss my stories on these fantastic paintings when Grant and Barb send them out!

While we do have two sales left in the bucket before I formally retire from the auction business and close the company, this upcoming auction is special, and is our last live sale. I'm hoping I can convince each of our team to spend at least a few lots on the auction podium, so that you can all see, thus informally meet, the wonderful folks that work so hard together at our business. The very last sale in late November will be automated, with timed lots as we have been doing for several years.

This end of October sale will be incredibly special, as folks from all over America have sent in their great rarities in almost every category. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. Rare Books -stuff that hasn't been on the market in decades; rare tokens - some of the very best of the West, including territorial material!; coins- collections that have never been "picked" by dealers; choice western photographs; Civil War material; WW2 material; ore specimens- more from the Dave Shadrick Homestake Collection; gold! Gold! Gold! - small nuggets, nice chunky nuggets, visible gold in quartz - gold quartz jewelry; Natie American turquoise jewelry - stunning pieces; ridiculously rare stock certificates from several collections - singles that are the last of the great Ken Prag Collection (more on this later); Presidential autographs from several collections; a plethora of rare medals, most of which we haven't seen before; mining artifacts; rare checks; revenue stamp collections; antique weaponry; and so much more. In fact, there is so much "great stuff" in this sale that I wrote many long descriptions - so many I forgot the pieces already!

Be sure to watch the email blasts that we send out that highlight different sections. We start about 15 days before the sale and have one per day. You'll see some very clever "AI" artwork too, like usual, which everybody tells me they just love, as do I.

Printed catalogs are by personal request, so be sure to call or email. In "the old days" we printed up to 4500 of them, our largest run ever. Today, that would cost upwards of $250,000 including mail, completely unaffordable.

We continue to strive to keep our opening bid price "cheap" and inexpensive. We realize we are in a whole new world of collecting, with markets and collecting genres that can change on a "whim," such as on the basis of just a few collectors entering, or leaving the market. Some of the material is so rare, I would hope many will come to look at goods in advance. While we are very proud of our photography department, sometimes a photo on line, looked at through your iPhone or computer just doesn't do the piece "justice."

There is a chance with so little time left that some lots will only have a very minimal listing, versus a story. As I worked in the office today, I found too many key pieces from Ken Prag's collection that deserve the live sale, so it is quite possible that you'll only see a one line listing, and the photo will have to do the "selling" part.

The Last Sale - the Timed sale in Late November

Get Your fingers warmed up to press that "bid" button. This is the "clean out" sale of all-time. We will be offering about 500,000 stock certificates from Ken Prag's fifty-plus year inventory in large lots. While these are mostly US railroads- perhaps hundreds of different rails. But there is mining, general business and who-knows-what. The very best part - No, there are not "20,000" or more of any one cert. Ther might be a few thousand of some, but there is an absolutely huge variety.

We will also have a huge amount of less expensive Americana of all kinds, some also in large lots. This includes many great rarities - remember- just because an item is rare does not necessarily mean it is expensive! Roll up your sleeves and get ready. We will have "grab bag" lots, and a whole new type as well, something we will call "mystery lots." Mystery lots are just that - we had so much stuff that we've taken piles about 4" thick or more and put them in a lot - we didn't have time to sort or categorize, so their contents are a mystery, with the exception of the lot photo or your personal inspection.

We want to thank all of you for your decades of interest in Americana of all kinds. Together, we've changed the business for the better.

For more information, see:
Holabird Americana(https://www.holabirdamericana.com/)