Holabird's Treasures From the Shelves auction Feb. 18-19 had mining collectibles, bottles, Americana

RENO, Nev. - March 3, 2023 - PRLog -- An archive of material pertaining to Old West author, artist and historian Ernest L. Reedstrom (1928-2003) sold for $2,625; a USS Utah photo diary of the Tampico Affair of 1914 and the invasion of Veracruz, Mexico brought $1,750; and a circa 1894-96 Oriental coffin flask out of Lamar, Colorado, lavender in color, realized $1,500 in Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC's Treasures from the Shelves auction held February 18^th-19^th, live and online.

The auction featured over 1,400 lots in many collecting categories, to include mining, bottles, stocks, philatelic, militaria, Native Americana, numismatics and general Americana.

Day 1 – on Saturday, February 18^th – contained 757 lots in the categories minerals and mining, general Americana and bottles. The Ernest L. Reedstrom archive was one of the top lots. The archive consisted of seven boxes of materials, including manuscripts and drafts of book chapters and other articles written by Reedstrom. All were from the period of time between 1960s-1990s.

Reedstrom wrote several books about the American West, including Apache Wars: An Illustrated Battle History; Historic Dress of the Old West; and Custer's 7th Cavalry: From Fort Riley to the Little Bighorn. As an artist, he was known for his paintings and drawings of the Old West. The most intriguing pieces in the collection were original illustrations done by Reedstrom.

In early April 1914, the USS Utah was sent to the Gulf port of Tampico to take aboard American refugees who were caught up in the diplomatic conflict. Later that month, the Utah was part of an invasion force sent by US President Woodrow Wilson to capture the Mexican port of Veracruz. The photo diary in the Holabird auction was a veritable time capsule of those events.

The 91 Real Photo Postcards (RPCs) and handwritten notes on the back appeared to have been written by USMC Charles ("Chas") Range to his beloved Bea. His rank and military assignment are unknown. But the images and notes were a unique and powerful, first-person photo diary of events that unfolded in the dispute between the US and Mexico during the Mexican Revolution.

The 6-inch tall Oriental lavender coffin flask (Preble S104) had an unmarked base and a top with a collar. The interior was hazy (to be expected considering its age). It just needs a good cleaning. To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com.