Reno, NV, USA, February 12, 2023 — A ten-dollar 1902 red seal banknote from The Farmers & Merchants National Bank in Reno, Nevada sold for $12,500, a runaway slave broadside from 1862 brought $8,750, and a circa 1868 lime green Dr. Boerhaave’s Stomach Bitters bottle finished at $8,435 at a four-day auction held Jan. 19-22, live and online, by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC.
The auction, officially titled Pike’s Peak or Bust! Western Americana, Bottles, Numismatics & More, was named in honor of the great Colorado Gold Rush of 1859 and featured a healthy dose of Colorado and Western states material, plus collectibles in many categories, including bottles, railroadiana, Native Americana, mining, numismatics, art, antique stocks and general Americana.
The 1902 Farmers & Merchants National Bank $10 red seal note was the second finest known of just the five red seals reported on the bank. It was PMG graded Very Fine 20, with some minor restorations on the reverse, but red seals are rare and coveted by collectors in any condition. It was signed by W. J. Harris and president Richard Kirman, the only president the bank ever had.
The folded slave broadside, 9 ¾ inches by 13 ½ inches, dated Sept. 28, 1852, offered “a liberal reward for the apprehension of (two) Negroes, who ran away Saturday night, the 21st, having stolen fifty dollars in money and a large lot of clothing.” The runaways were women: Eliza (in her 20s, “well made, rather on the slender side”) and Fanny (about 50 and “fond of smoking”).
On March 4th, Holabird will auction Part 2 of items from the S.S. Central America, the fabled “Ship of Gold” that sank in a storm in 1857. Part 1, held in January by Holabird in Reno, was a huge success. The firm is seeking treasure-related items, ingots, gold nuggets and Gold Rush collectibles to add to this sale, which will feature “Treasures from the Land & Sea”. It is also looking for consignments from mining, railroadiana, Native Americana, numismatics and bottles.
To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates posted often.
