HOLABIRD WESTERN AMERICANA COLLECTIONS WILL KICK OFF 2021 WITH ASWEETHEART EXPRESS AUCTION, FEB. 11-15, ONLINE AND LIVE IN RENO, NEV.

Headlining the auction are two major collections: Gary Nelson (railroadiana) and Stewart"Scotty" MacKenzie (Montana mining). Nearly 4,000 premier lots will come up for bid.

Already famous for its five-day monster auctions that feature thousands of lots ina rainbow of collecting categories, Holabird Western Americana Collections will up the antewith a Sweetheart Express Auction, also five days, from February 11th -15th , online and live in theReno gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive. The sale is bursting with nearly 4,000 premier lots.

"The first sale of 2021 promises to be our best sale in several years - across the board - in everycategory," said Fred Holabird, president and owner of Holabird Western Americana Collections."We've been fortunate to receive many key collections to offer some of the best material to besold in years. It may be the best cross-section of collectibles since the big market crash of 2008."

Start times all five days are 8 am Pacific time, with Internet bidding available via iCollector.com,LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Telephone and absentee bids willalso be accepted. The full catalog can be viewed online now, at www.HolabirdAmericana.com.For those planning to attend the auction in person, all state and CDC regulations and protocolsregarding the COVID-19 coronavirus (masks, social distancing, etc.) will be strictly enforced

The auction is titled The Sweetheart Express because it's loaded with sweet deals right aroundValentine's Day and contains thousands of gift ideas for that special someone. The sale will beheadlined by two major collections: the Gary Nelson collection of railroadiana and the StewartMacKenzie collection of Montana mining. Both should attract a great deal of bidder interest.

Top billing goes to Gary Nelson, a lifetime collector and railroad employee whose collectionfeatures hundreds of trains in excellent working condition, engines, accessories, buildings,specialty cars (such as snow plows and maintenance cars, with crews), tracks, one-of-a-kindtrains (many in mint or near-mint condition), and hundreds of different multi-signal lamps.

There are also hundreds of railroad lanterns, including a Wabash embossed lamp with a tealglobe, railroad signal signs, rolling stock with factory errors, a 1930s Standard Gauge in near-mint condition and more. All-model train scales and gauges include S-Gauge, O-Gauge, HO-Gauge and O-27. Names like Lionel, MTH, American Flyer and Buddy "L" are all included. Thecollection includes the very first cast-iron train purchased from the Graham Clayton collection.

Rare 1871 stock certificate for Citizens Gas Light Company (Newark, N.J.), issued to Eustace E.Marcy for 14 shares at $50 per share, signed by the president and treasurer (est. $500-$1,000).

Stewart "Scotty" MacKenzie (1942-2020) of Chinook, Montana was a die-hard Montana "paper"collector. One of his great finds was the archive of the Pony, Montana Miners Union, with alltheir banners, badges and accoutrements. At trade shows he'd have boxes of letters and invoices,having learned that the billhead and letterhead market needed more Montana mining material.

MacKenzie also discovered tons of mining stocks. He brought Montana to the forefront when heacquired the huge holdings of the Butte mines. Armed with thousands of stocks signed by miningmagnate William A. Clark, MacKenzie fed these pieces into the worldwide certificate market,increasing global demand. His collection of Montana billheads, letterheads and stocks is huge.

Day 1, on Thursday, February 11th , will feature general Americana (jewelry, marbles and toys,geographic sort and miscellaneous), bottles and saloon collectibles (including brewing items anddrug ephemera), mining collectibles and Part 1 of stocks and bonds (to include mining paper).Featured will be stocks and bonds (especially oil stocks) from Ken Prag's sizable collection ofU.S. businesses other than mining and railroad. Included are great rarities in every category, aswell as rare autographs, including Thomas Edison and many other important financial figures.

Autographed card of James Marshall with vignette of Sutters Mill (Calif.) at left, "Discoverer ofGold in California, January 19th, 1848", signed Jas. W. Marshall" (est. $1,200-$1,500).

Day 1 will contain rare Gold Rush and Western mining collectibles, to include a gorgeous gold-in-quartz watch chain and a James Marshall autograph ("Discoverer of Gold in California,January 19th, 1848", signed Jas. W. Marshall"). Also offered will be a Nome Mining photoalbum, a large Leadville ephemera collection, a circa 1903 United Mine Workers Pikes Peakbanner, rare Nevada pieces (including a Con-Virginia assay ledger), and choice mining medals.

Important discovery gold ingot from the Vulture Gold Mine near Wickenburg, Arizona Territory,circa 1911-14, weighing 391.17 grams, 825 fine gold, with a report copy (est. $25,000-$30,000).

Original tintype of George Armstrong Custer in a non-political case, 3 ¼ inches by 3 ½ inches,taken in 1865 by Matthew Brady, the famous Civil War-era photographer (est. $8,000-$20,000).

Day 2, on Friday, February 12th , will have Part II of stocks and bonds (to include oil, railroad,transportation, agriculture, banking, brewing and industrial), and firearms, military and politicalcollectibles. The firearms and military portion will feature an original 1865 tintype of Gen.Custer by Matthew Brady in a case, and several Colts with papers, including a Copper QueenMine security force revolver from 1907 and one from 1876, engraved by Louis D. Nimschke.

1862 Lincoln silver Peace Medal, 62.5 mm, About Uncirculated, the only Presidential peacemedal issued in a year other than the inauguration date of the president (est. $20,000-$29,000).

Leadville (Colo.) presentation silver ingot, inscribed, "From Geo. W. Cook to Col. J. J. SlocumLeadville Col June 1881 965 fine", about 23 troy ounces, 3.5 inches long (est. $20,000-$25,000).

Day 3, on Saturday, February 13th , will feature railroadiana and transportation, numismatics,tokens and sports. The numismatics section will include an 1862 Lincoln silver Peace Medalwith Osage provenance, three choice ingots (an 1881 Leadville silver presentation ingot, aVulture Mine gold ingot and a 1,000-plus-ounce U.S. Assay Office silver ingot), a Californiatokens collection, wooden nickels, U.S. gold coin "look-alike" counters and so-called dollars.

Day 4, Valentine's Day, features art, Native Americana (to include a collection of 19th centuryphotos and documents, including photos of Apache leaders such as Geronimo and two ApacheScout Medal of Honors winners), philatelic and Part 1 of Bargains & Dealer Specials (stocks andbonds). The philatelic section has an 1883 Sheriff R.H. Paul letter about a stage coach robberyand murder in the Arizona Territory, plus thousands of postcards from the Ken Prag collection.

The art category contains fantastic material across the board, the best Holabird has ever offered,such as David Roberts lithographs (Egypt and the Holy Land, circa 1842-1844), selections fromthe Ben-T art collection (including a superb map from the reign of Peter the Great, circa 1722),great oil paintings by some prominent early 20th century Russian artists, and other fine pieces.

Also included in Day 4 is the Albert Cauchon sculptures collection, featuring over a thousandChilmark pewter statues, beautifully detailed, by artists such as Don Polland and Michael Boyett.Some are Native American-themed, some are Western-themed and some are Civil War-era. Theyrange in height from four inches to three feet. It's the largest collection to be offered publicly.

Day 5, Monday, February 15th , will conclude the sale with Part 2 of Bargains & Dealer Specials,to include philatelic items, more numismatics and some general Americana - a total of 708 lots.

Color catalogs are available by calling 1-844-492-2766, or 775-851-1859. Also, anyone owninga collection that might fit into an upcoming Holabird Western Americana Collections auction isencouraged to get in touch. The firm travels extensively throughout the U.S., to see and pick upcollections. The company has agents all over America and will travel to inspect most collections.

Holabird Western Americana Collections is always in the hunt for new and major collections tobring to market. It prides itself as being a major source for selling Americana at the best pricesobtainable, having sold more than any other similar company in the past decade alone. The firmwill have its entire sales database online soon, at no cost - nearly 200,00 lots sold since 2014.

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. To learn more about HolabirdWestern Americana Collections and the 5-day Sweetheart Express Auction planned for Thursdaythru Monday, Feb. 11th -15th , please visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted often.