THE GOLDEN WEST AUCTIONS

Auction Details

The Golden West Sale encompasses three sessions of auctions covering some of the most important historical western material from the Gold Rush periods of California, Nevada and Colorado. The material has been assembled from many of the great western collections, as well as original material handed down within Gold Rush families, held intact for over 100 years.
Session A of the Golden West Sale encompasses the annual WESTS (Western States Token Society) token auction. This year the highlight is clearly and unarguably the finest Western Indian Trader, Fort & Territorial collection ever assembled at public auction. The more than 500 lot sale contains dozens of R9 and R10 tokens, many of which have not seen the light of day in at least four decades. Some ephemera also is included from Indian Trader sites. Indian Trader tokens are an important form of money exchanged between Indians and Anglos in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Trading Posts were a way of life in the isolated outposts of the western plains and mountains, swapping furs, rugs, coats and other items for food stuffs and equipment. There has never been a sale of this magnitude and importance. The end of this sale will include a comprehensive collection of Naval tokens never before offered and with NO ESTIMATES or MINIMUM BID REQUIREMENTS, as this offering will set the pricing precedent for naval tokens.
Session B encompasses many of the popular collecting categories. It includes a strong photograph collection of American saloon interiors, saloon ephemera and Gold Rush region saloon tokens, also known as Pioneer Minor Coinage. Part of the saloon section includes a large collection of the ultra-rare Good-for mirrors, one of the rarest forms of money, many with pictorial representations of the fabulous “gay-90’s” saloon girls, as well as advertising mirrors. This is the largest mirror offering since the Rosa sale of 1988. Most of the mirrors are so rare that only one to three specimens of each are known. The session will be rounded out by a collection of So-called dollars and Hibler Kappen related material, $50 slug facsimiles, Chopmarked coins, Golden Gate International Exposition Medals and more. Much of this section is from the well-known Bill Weber Collection.
Session C The highlight of the sale is certainly the newly discovered Washington Nugget, a nearly 100 ounce nugget (and several others) found in an unmined section of the Omega-Malakoff Tertiary Channel in February, 2010 that made national news. The nuggets are accompanied by two large original nineteenth-century bullion scales (Christian Becker, New York; Henry Troemner, Philadelphia), It is accompanied in the sale by some masterful original Gold Rush art, inclusive of a spectacular and early rendition of a miner, several broadsides- a miner in lithographic form, panoramic views of mining communities, a number of original Currier & Ives prints of the Gold Rush and Salt Lake City, stage coach pieces, and the Alaska 1893 Yukon/Alaska Miners Union Banner.
A massive Gold Rush banking collection covers the 1850’s through 1860’s in California and Nevada, with what is probably the largest Gold Rush period banking collection ever offered publicly. It contains more than 100 different Bills of Exchange, a form of the first circulating currency on the West Coast. A wonderful and large collection of Gold Rush banking documents augments this fine collection, along with original leather gold pokes and money belts.
Some of the highlights of the Gold Rush Collection are documents from the original 1910 San Francisco sale of the estate of James King of William, documents signed by Adolph Sutro, California coiner F. D. Kohler, and others. A very rare letter book from Nevada mining and railroad magnate Hume Yerington from the mid-1860’s contains incredible information about his life prior to his railroad successes.
A large collection of US Mint ephemera is included, including rare bullion receipts, photographs, lithograph, gold coin and other coin bank bags, as well as rare Carson City gold and silver coins. Accompanying the Mint ephemera is a section of California Counters and rare California Gold Rush tokens.
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Sacramento City,CA - March 10, 1851 - Freeman & Co. Freight Receipt :2032 - Sacramento City,CA - March 10, 1851 - Freeman & Co. Freight Receipt :
Holabird-Kagin Americana
No. 1381 Marked duplicate. The amount received was insured by Adams & Co from San Francisco. Signed by JM Furman. There is a list of all Adams &...
Bidding Has Concluded
Estimate : 300.00 - 600.00
Sold to p********n for (170.00 + 29.75BP) = 199.75
 
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Forest Hill,CA - Placer County - Garrison, John G.,  Gold Dust Deposit Receipt :2033 - Forest Hill,CA - Placer County - Garrison, John G., Gold Dust Deposit Receipt :
Holabird-Kagin Americana
Lot of two. One dated October 17, 1865, the other dated August 8, 1866. Forest Hill was a rich gold region immediately to the east of Auburn, Californ
Bidding Has Concluded
Estimate : 350.00 - 750.00
Sold to p********n for (180.00 + 31.50BP) = 211.50
 
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Shasta,CA - June 2, 1852 - Gold Dust Manuscript Receipt :2034 - Shasta,CA - June 2, 1852 - Gold Dust Manuscript Receipt :
Holabird-Kagin Americana
An 1852 assay receipt for a sample of gold dust. The “package said to contain 43.5oz and one dollar and seventy five cents in dust.” Dated June 2nd. S
Bidding Has Concluded
Estimate : 300.00 - 500.00
Sold to t********n.. for (140.00 + 24.50BP) = 164.50
 
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Gold Hill,NV - Storey County - August 18, 1889 - Gold Hill Assay Office Memorandum of Bullion Deposi2035 - Gold Hill,NV - Storey County - August 18, 1889 - Gold Hill Assay Office Memorandum of Bullion Deposi
Holabird-Kagin Americana
August 19, 1889 Memorandum of Golf Bar Deposited for Assay at the Gold Hill Assay Office with corresponding letter. The assay receipt is for two gold
Bidding Has Concluded
Estimate : 200.00 - 400.00
Sold to g*****t for (100.00 + 17.50BP) = 117.50
 
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Los Angeles,CA - Gold, Silver, Lead and Copper Assays, Directions for :2036 - Los Angeles,CA - Gold, Silver, Lead and Copper Assays, Directions for :
Holabird-Kagin Americana
Directions for Using Pritchards Chemical Process for the Gold, Silver, Lead, and Copper Assays. Small thirty-two page booklet that measures 6" ...
Bidding Has Concluded
Estimate : 100.00 - 200.00
Sold to e**********t for (50.00 + 8.75BP) = 58.75
 
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Virginia City,NV - Storey County - 1873 - Hale & Norcross Memorandum of Bullion Assay Office :2037 - Virginia City,NV - Storey County - 1873 - Hale & Norcross Memorandum of Bullion Assay Office :
Holabird-Kagin Americana
Measures 15" x 8.25." Has water staining, and three folds lengthwise. The middle fold is very fragile and has some tearing. The Woodwar...
Bidding Has Concluded
Estimate : 200.00 - 400.00
Sold to p********n for (300.00 + 52.50BP) = 352.50
 
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Virginia City,NV - Storey County - 1892-97, 1906-08 - Hale & Norcross Silver Mining Company Assay Re2038 - Virginia City,NV - Storey County - 1892-97, 1906-08 - Hale & Norcross Silver Mining Company Assay Re
Holabird-Kagin Americana
Only 164 of 255 pages of the ledger are used. Size 12 x 16.” Available at our Reno Office. In fine condition, binding is torn with a few stains throu
Bidding Has Concluded
Estimate : 750.00 - 1,200.00
Sold to F*******d for (650.00 + 113.75BP) = 763.75
 
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Todd Valley,CA - Placer County - c1867 - Hall & Allen, Bankers, Gold Dust Receipt :2039 - Todd Valley,CA - Placer County - c1867 - Hall & Allen, Bankers, Gold Dust Receipt :
Holabird-Kagin Americana
Gold dust receipt for gold purchased by J.M. Miner, an agent for Hall and Allen Bankers at Todd's Valley. Hall and Allen also had bank branches ...
Bidding Has Concluded
Estimate : 400.00 - 800.00
Sold to p********n for (120.00 + 21.00BP) = 141.00
 
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Marysville,CA - Yuba County - May 14, 1860 - Harris, H.  & Co. Pioneer Assay Office, Memorandum of G2041 - Marysville,CA - Yuba County - May 14, 1860 - Harris, H. & Co. Pioneer Assay Office, Memorandum of G
Holabird-Kagin Americana
Assay receipt #22499. "Memorandum of Gold Deposited by Decker, Jewitt, & Paxton at the Pioneer Assay Office of H. Harris & Co, Late Har...
Bidding Has Concluded
Estimate : 2,000.00 - 4,000.00
Sold to 8*****B for (1,600.00 + 280.00BP) = 1,880.00
 
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San Francisco,CA - 1860 - Humbert, Augustus Sterling Presentation Plaque :2042 - San Francisco,CA - 1860 - Humbert, Augustus Sterling Presentation Plaque :
Holabird-Kagin Americana
Round sterling silver bowl-shaped tray engraved as follows: To / Augustus Humbert / From / W.S. Lyon / L. Simons / L.L. Sturdevant / W. Ilse / C.H. Ro
Bidding Has Concluded
Estimate : 10,000.00 - 15,000.00
Sold to 1***4 for (7,000.00 + 1,225.00BP) = 8,225.00
 
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