Holabird's August 22-25 auction in Reno featured antique denim miners' pants, rare U.S. gold coins

RENO, Nev. - Sept. 4, 2024 - PRLog -- Antique denim jeans and rare U.S. gold coins dominated the list of top lots at Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC's American Treasures of the Past auction held August 22^nd thru 25^th, online and live in the Reno gallery. More than 2,100 lots in a rainbow of collecting categories came up for bid in an auction that ended up grossing a robust $1.3 million.

Antique denim pants as collectibles? Yes, when they were worn during the era of the 1800s mining days of the American West they can fetch dizzying dollars. The top earner of the general Americana category was a pair of button fly Mountaineer brand jeans from ZCMI of Salt Lake City. Discovered in a house in Utah as insulation lining the walls in 2024, the pants, with a Mormon connection, sold for $21,250.

A pair of AB Elfelt & Company Pioneer brand brown canvas pants with full label and buckle intact, plain buttons and blue wool factory lining, in nice condition, gaveled for $10,000; while a circa 1875-1880 pair of brown canvas standard pants by Neustatter Bros., a competitor of Levi Strauss & Co., a classic pair of "miner's" pants meant for tough outdoor use, brought $16,875.

As expected, the U.S. gold coins were runaway best-sellers. They were led by a 1908 Indian Head U.S. $5 gold proof coin, one of only 167 proof issues from that year. It went for $43,380. Also, a 1795 Capped Bust U.S. $5 gold coin, known as "America's first gold coin", designed by Robert Scot and an exceptionally rare Heraldic Eagle reverse $5 gold piece, realized $38,560.

A 13-leaf variety 1795 Capped Bust U.S. $10 gold coin, also designed by Scot, one of only 400-500 known and a coin George Washington wanted finished before he left office, made $25,305. Confederate States of America bank notes also did well, as a Type 3 $100 Montgomery issue note rose to $4,820, while a CSA Type 1 $1,000 note, both from May 1861, finished at $21,690.

The rest of the auction featured Native American jewelry, turquoise and raw Western gems, high-quality bronzes and Western oils from the Tahoe/Reno Western Art collection, Art Nouveau postcards, old Western bottles, Western antiquities and Chinese Eastern watercolors. Online bidding was provided by iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com.

To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections and their upcoming sales, visit www.holabirdamericana.com.