Holabird's Big Bonanza Auction, March 30-April 2, features Part 1 of the Comstock mining collection

RENO, Nev. - March 24, 2023 - PRLog -- Holabird Western Americana Collections will hold its first live sale since the world record-breaking second (and final) SS Central America shipwreck artifacts auction held March 4-5, online and live in Reno. Virtual catalogs for the SSCA sales are still available on the Holabird website (HolabirdAmericana.com) and include numerous research essays and articles.

"Out of the ocean and back on dry land, we're pleased to present a phenomenal Big Bonanza Auction," said Fred Holabird, president of Holabird Western Americana Collections. "This is a four-day sale – Thursday, March 30^th, through Sunday, April 2^nd. It has over 2,000 lots in many categories that include mining, philatelic, numismatic, railroad, Native Americana and more."

The auction will be held online (via iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com), as well as live in the Holabird gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive (Suite # 308) in Reno, Nev. Color catalogs are available by calling 1-844-492-2766, or 775-851-1859. Start times all four days are 8 am Pacific time. Telephone and absentee bids will be accepted.

Mr. Holabird said that since the auction features Part 1 of what he called "the best Comstock mining collection ever to hit the market," the auction name was chosen to honor the "Big Bonanza" ore discovery in Virginia City, Nevada in 1873. Part 1 will focus on mining stock certificates, ore specimens, ephemera and publications. Each group contains spectacular items.

The ephemera group features pieces dating back to the very beginning of the Comstock mining rush. These include the following:

• An 1859 mining deed for the Ophir claim, signed by Judge Walsh and mentioning the original discoverers. Holabird is calling it the "Comstock Founding Fathers" mining deed (lot 4204) and it is worthy of an advanced private collection or institutional collection.
• An 1860 illustrated "Wash-Oh!" lettersheet (lot 4205) with a spectacular cartoon highlighting the dangers of mining stock speculation.
• An 1859 letter mentioning some of the first Ore Comstock assays.

In addition to the Comstock collection, the mining and minerals category also includes California assay ephemera, mining documents from Colorado and Montana, mineral and fossil specimens from the Chunlin Zhu collection, and mining artifacts.

To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections and the four-day Big Bonanza Auction, March 30^th-April 2^nd, online and live in the Reno gallery, visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted often.