1881 Newspaper Account of The Gunfight at The OK Corral Fetches $5,000 at Holabird's Auction in Reno

An original newspaper account of the gunfight at the OK Corral from 1881 sold for $5,000, and an 1876-CC (Carson City) U.S. Liberty Head $20 gold piece gaveled for $4,518 in three days of auctions titled Pioneers & Patriots held March 1st thru 3rd by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. The first two days were held online and live in the Reno gallery.

Day 3 – March 3rd – was a timed-only session, with no live gallery bidding. Around 1,700 lots came up for bid across the three days, in categories that include Americana, militaria, mining, numismatics, Wild West, philatelic and more. Online bidding was provided by iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Telephone and absentee bids were also accepted.

“We chose the name ‘Pioneers & Patriots’ to honor notable Western figures such as lawmen, outlaws, generals and presidents, as well as military figures from conflicts such as the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Mexican Revolution and the French Revolution,” said Fred Holabird, president and owner of Holabird Western Americana Collections. “The sale was a huge success.”

The account of the gunfight at the OK Corral in the town of Tombstone in the Arizona Territory was chronicled in the copy of the Tombstone Daily Nugget dated Nov. 24, 1881. The gunfight pitted lawmen (including Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday) against members of a group of cattle rustlers and horse thieves. It lasted less than a minute but is still a major part of Wild West lore.

The 1876-CC U.S. Liberty Head $20 gold piece was rare, one of just 138,441 minted in Carson City. It was in Fine-Very Fine condition, a ding above Liberty’s ear its only noticeable blemish. Other top-selling lots from the numismatics category included the following:

- A 1934 $1,000 Federal Reserve Note (Fr 2211-L), produced in San Francisco and having the signatures of Julian and Morgenthau. The bill, one of 90,600 printed, showed a vignette of former US President Grover Cleveland and was in VF-EF condition ($2,750).

- A three-album collection of Morgan silver dollars, 56 coins in all, contained in blue Whitman albums, in dates ranging from 1878-1886, mostly in VG-EF condition. There were lower-grade San Francisco coins in the group, but none from Carson City ($2,125).

- An 1891-CC Morgan silver dollar in About Uncirculated condition, one of 1,618,000 struck and boasting nice luster, with no bag marks ($1,000).

Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium.

Day 1 contained over 500 lots dedicated to general Americana; minerals (including gold and turquoise) and mining; and stock certificates. Top lots included 21.4 grams of placer gold nuggets weighing a total of 0.686 troy oz., from a volcano claim in an ancient stream bed above Goler Wash in the El Paso mountains near Death Valley, Calif. ($2,125); and a group of nuggets of turquoise, a mix of cut and hand-cut, hand selected for color, weighing 5.4 pounds ($1,125).

Antique stock and bond certificates proved to be popular with bidders. A few examples are as follows:

- A United States Centennial International Exhibition (Philadelphia, Pa.) stock certificate, issued to The Dairymen Association for 50 shares at $10 per, dated October 30, 1876 and signed by treasurer Fred Fraley and president John Welsh, in nice condition ($2,125).

- A rare Combination Gold & Silver Mining Company (Inyo County, Calif.) stock certificate printed in red with yellow background, issued to B.F. Whiten for 40 shares on Jun 26, 1862, signed by James T Jones as president, CS Higgins secretary ($1,062).

- An uncanceled bond signed by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, for $500, issued in 1866 while the general, revolutionist, president and dictator (who enjoyed successes in Texas and the Alamo) was living in New York City in exile, where he died in poverty ($1,000).

A hard-to-find complete set of 12 different postcards by Alberto Martini, each one of them signed by the artist famous for illustrating famous literary works, including producing 132 ink illustrations described as "macabre" for the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, commanded $1,500.

A circa 1950 Mills Bell-O-Matic three-reel nickel slot machine in a bright red metal case, wooden sided, with "A C E" in clubs the jackpot, 26 inches tall by 16 inches wide, with two keys but no cash box and typed instructions to the owner inside the back cover, commanded $1,312.

A 1908 Fletcher, Oklahoma receipt for $26.16 from the outlaw Frank James of James Gang fame, plus a letter penned in 1875 on American Express letterhead by William A. Redfield, the private detective assigned to track down and ultimately capture the James Gang, reached $1,187.

Other noteworthy lots included a collection of six folding knives, all of them unmarked as to the manufacturers, one made in Italy with back scales and a lock-back action and one burnished bone folder that walks and talks ($2,125); and a large vintage turquoise bolo, purchased in New Mexico about 50 years ago, very attractive, with two .75-inch stones on the bottom ($1,187).

Anyone owning a collection that might fit into a Holabird Western Americana Collections auction is encouraged to get in touch. The company has agents all over America and will travel to inspect most worthy collections.

To consign a single piece or a collection, you may call Fred Holabird at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766; or, send an e-mail to fredholabird@gmail.com. Holabird Western Americana Collections is actively seeking quality consignments for its upcoming auctions, especially items in the following categories:

- Coins, ingots, currency, tokens, US Mint

- Minerals, gold nuggets, ore specimens

- Railroadiana (passes, lanterns, locks)

- Bottles and brewing, salon collectibles

- Mining artifacts and ephemera

- Rare documents (checks, billheads, stocks, maps)

- Native Americana

- Wild West outlaws and lawmen

- Firearms and militaria

To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLFC and their calendar of upcoming auction events, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com.

About Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC:
Anyone owning a collection that might fit into a Holabird Western Americana Collections auction is encouraged to get in touch. The company has agents all over America and will travel to inspect most worthy collections. To consign a single piece or a collection, you may call Fred Holabird at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766; or, send an e-mail to fredholabird@gmail.com. To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLFC and their calendar of upcoming auction events, please visit www.holabirdamericana.com. 

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