Reno, NV, USA, May 6, 2022 — A U.S. one-cent stamp commemorating the Pan American Exposition of 1901 with an inverted center – an error stamp and one of the great philatelic rarities – sold for $5,500 at Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC’s four-day Western Americana Auction held April 21st thru 24th, online and live in the Holabird gallery located at 3555 Airway Drive in Reno.
The stamp, Scott Catalog #294A, was green in color and came with a service certificate from the American Philatelic Expertising Service dated May 19, 1976. It showed a graphic of a steamship (upside down) in an oval above the words “Eastlake Navigation”. The stamp probably would have sold for considerably more, but it wasn’t well centered, a strike against it with collectors.
Day 1, on April 21st, featured three major collecting categories: art, with just under 100 lots; Native Americana (a popular staple at Holabird auctions), featuring 65 lots; and the day’s star category – philatelic, with 52 lots of first day covers, 172 lots of postcards and 71 lots of stamps. Nearly 300 lots of philatelic came under the gavel, representing half the total number of lots.
Another commemorative stamp – a $5 stamp for the Columbian Exposition of 1893, honoring 400 years since the discovery of America by Columbus, with a profile graphic of Columbus – went for $1,250. Another Day 1 top achiever was a Navajo squash blossom turquoise and coral necklace with a matching set of earrings signed by the famed Navajo artist, Victor Moses Begay, circa 1970s-1980s ($1,438). It was a double-sided set (turquoise on one side, coral on the other).
Anyone owning a collection that might fit into an upcoming Holabird Western Americana Collections auction is encouraged to get in touch. The firm travels throughout the U.S., to see and pick up collections. It has agents all over America and will travel to inspect most collections.
To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted often.