Fans of Western Americana turned out in droves for Holabirds massive, four-day Western Trails and Treasures Premier Auction, held Feb. 24 to 27 online and live in the gallery located in Reno, Nev. Nearly 2,500 lots crossed the auction block in a wide array of categories, at price points that appealed to novice collectors and seasoned veterans. Online bidding was facilitated by iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Prices reported include the buyers premium. Day one was dedicated to general Americana, in categories that included general books, gaming, saloon and brewing, jewelry, furnishings, musical instruments and memorabilia, model train and car, badges, geographically sorted lots and miscellaneous. Highlights included a lot of five publications relating to Philippines travel ephemera, all from the first half of the 20th century, an example being a rare official program for the Philippine Carnival held in Manila in 1910, 80 pages, selling for $10,938, and an archive of about 400 photographs of San Francisco and the Northern Redwood Corridor, taken ca. 1932-35 by photographer Russell William Angel, including many shots of Californias majestic redwood trees, selling for $3,000. A large Staffordshire blue and white ironstone transfer foot bath and pitcher set made by an unknown craftsman, the pitcher 13.5 inches tall, sold for $2,625. A group of six antique bitters bottles, from various locales, to include Philadelphia, South Redding (Mass.), Richmond (Va.) and Toronto, Canada ($875), and an Independent Oil ceramic enameled sign in red, white and black (From Coast to Coast Independent Oil) with each side 27 inches sold for $875. Day two featured stocks and bonds (in the categories of mining, railroad, transportation and miscellaneous) and numismatics (currency, scrip and ephemera), ingots and bullion, coins, medals and tokens. A San Francisco Mint silver ingot, .999 fine, weighing 6.61 oz. and showing the old style, pre-WWII logo of the Mint of San Francisco realized $7,230. A mens ring of one troy ounce of solid 14-carat gold carefully holding a 1/3 Stater gold coin from the 6th century BC, one of the first of all world gold coins, sold for $3,250, and a rare Hudson Bay Company 1820 one-pound sterling certificate, issued at York Factory and signed by two officials, went for $1,000. A collection of 35 brilliant uncirculated Benjamin Franklin half-dollar coins, dated 1948-63 and housed in a Capital Plastics holder, went for $1,438; a lot of three rare tokens from the Bullfrog, Nev., mining district changed hands for $2,250; and a Carson City (Nev.) U.S. Mint canvas bag, 19 inches tall, brought $2,125. The mint used silver from the nearby Comstock Lode mining district. A scarce 19th-century Central Pacific Railroad (Calif.) specimen stock certificate for $100 par shares, with a vignette at the bottom of three allegorical females, rang up $750; a first rendition Sutro Tunnel (Nev.) stock certificate #68, dated Oct. 18, 1868, and issued to Solomon Haas of New York for 100 shares, achieved $625; and a 1902 Yosemite Valley (Calif.) Railroad Company specimen bond, with a spectacular Yosemite Valley vignette, rose to $671. Day three was packed with nearly 600 lots of minerals, mining directories, militaria, and political memorabilia. Top lots included a copy of Brown & Dallisons Nevada, Grass Valley and Rough and Ready Directory (Calif.), 133 pages, with ads, compiled by Nat P. Brown and John K. Dallison, San Francisco, that sold for $5,375. A rare 1853 copy of Hale and Emorys Marysville City (Calif.) Directory with residents alphabetically listed by occupations and addresses, plus businesses, went for $9,150, and the original Placerville (Calif.) Directory of 1862 by Thomas Fitch, printed by the Placerville Republican, 128 pages, with a soft-cover reprint by the El Dorado County Museum, sold for $5,125. The auctions final day featured art, Native Americana, transportation (railroad and steamer passes, ephemera and artifacts), plus many bargain and dealer specials that included general Americana, stocks and bonds and numismatics. Art was led by a classic oil-on-canvas Western cowboy hunting scene by F. W. Trautwein, titled on the frame Meats Not Meat Til Its In The Pan (1972), depicting a cowboy whos just shot a mountain sheep, which sold for $1,875. A group of 18 railroad lock keys from multiple Iowa railroad lines (Newton & Northwestern RR, Cedar Rapids & Iowa City RY, Des Moines & Central Iowa RR, Mason City & Clear Lake RY and many others) went to a determined bidder for $2,500. Also, a Carson and Colorado Railroad (Virginia City, Nev.) lock and key, stamped Union Brass Mfg. Co. / Chicago, made $1,708. A Hudson River Line steamer pass, no. 1206, with a maroon title and lovely vignette of a paddle steamer that fills almost the entire upper half, issued for 1898 to B.P. Holland of the Norfolk, Virginia Beach & Southern Railroad, brought $1,375, while a Utah Central Railway annual pass for 1885, issued to W. H. Hurlburt and signed by Mormon leader and important Utah figure John Sharp (as superintendent), made $1,312. The Utah Central connected Salt Lake City with Ogden. For further information, call Fred Holabird at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766 or visit www.holabirdamericana.com.