Having said that, the dies are but a fraction of the sale. Like Holabird's other sales, the range of collectibles is wide, much wider than I have space to relate. With 5,752 lots being offered, you simply need to get one of of Holabird's full-color catalogs to see for yourself. I contend that if collectors can't find something desirable in this - or other Holabird catalogs - I'm not sure they are really collectors of historic items.
Of course, my interest is telling you about railroad certificates. There are a lot of them in this sale, but even their number pales in comparison to the number of mining certificates offered.
Most, possibly all, of the railroad certificates in this sale were amassed by San Francisco scripophily dealer and collector Ken Prag. Holabird began liquidating Mr. Prag's collection in his October sale. I apologize, but I was so thoroughly involved in getting the third edition of my catalog published, I did not have time to review and write about that sale. In fact, it took me over a month to catalog every certificate offered. This time, I put everything else aside to see what kinds of certificates were coming up for sale. While the railroad portion of the sale is still two weeks off, the number of railroad certificates being offered is so large that I can only hit a few of the high points. I will leave the in-depth digging to my readers because everyone's interests are so varied.
Railroad certificates can be found in lots 5234 through 5752. These lots will go under the hammer starting on December 9, the fifth day of the sale. While I strongly recommend getting a copy of the physical catalog, you can start with a virtual version found at at FHWAC.com. Day 1 items can be found here, or you may go directly to Day 5 to find all the rail-related lots.
(I specifically advise you to use both the printed catalog and the online auction site together. Don't rely on a magnifying glass to check printed photos, because you will overlook rarities. I guarantee it! Instead, use the catalog to focus on items that strike your fancy and then use the auction site to check large images of every lot.)
Eliminating a handful of non-certificate items, I count a total of 496 lots of railroad certificates. While the majority are single-item lots, 144 lots feature two or more certificates. Unlike multi-item lots in most other sales, Holabird's multi-item lots contain closely-related certificates, normally from the same company. Counting all certificates in all lots, the 'Sale To Die For' will offer 779 railroad certificates.
I specifically mention multi-item lots because there are some hidden gems there that you probably will not expect to find. I won't have time to examine every one of those lots for at least a couple more weeks, but if this sale is anything like the last, you will find some sensational rarities if you look closely enough. I make this prediction this because I recorded 22 (!) entirely new varieties in the last sale from multi-items lots alone. Don't be too quick to ignore multi-item lots.
It is only to be expected that many certificates will appear familiar to advanced collectors. Take the well-known but rare certificate from the Alaska Central Railway Co. with a map occupying the green background of the entire certificate (lot 5245). Almost every railroad specialist has seen pictures of it, but I have recorded only 17 serial numbers up until now. When cataloged, this lot will contribute the 18th example and it will be the earliest known so far.
On the other hand, how many collectors have examples of the Alaska Midland Railway Co (lot 4246) in their collections? Or the Boynton Bicycle Electric Railway?
It you're the person who collects certificates with serial #1, check out rarities like the Lookout Incline Railway (lot 5456) and Los Angeles & Vernon Street Railway (lot 5458). Or how about a stock certificate from the Silverton Railway signed by Otto Mears (lot 5622)? It will become only the second such certificate I have recorded from this rare company, both signed by Mears.
I went through all images of single-item lots in this sale, looking merely for certificates that struck me as unusual. Within about twenty minutes, I spotted five certificates that I have not encountered since recording them from unillustrated lots in the 1990s. This makes the first time I have encountered illusive certificates from the Arlington & Fairfax Railway, Blue Ridge Traction, Indian Valley, Lewiston Nezperce & Eastern and the Palatine Lake Zurich & Wauconda.
I also stumbled across the first instances of certificates from companies like the Pascagoula Street Railway and Power Co., the Portsmouth Kittery & York Street Railway Co., the San Francisco & Bay Counties Railway, the Stamford & Northwestern Railway Co. and the Allentown Passenger Railway.Stressing again that I have not yet cataloged a single item, I also noticed certificates from two entirely new companies: the Mine Hill Railroad Co. (lot 5482) and the Pacific Coast Express (lot 5493).
Also new was an unissued municipal bond from the City of San Francisco sold to aid the San Francisco & San Jose Rail Road Co. (lot 5605. There is also another entirely new municipal aid bond from the Corporation of the City of Brownsville, Tennessee (lot 5364) that was issued in 1870 to aid an unspecified railroad.
What new certificates and companies hide among the multi-item lots? No idea. I figure I will not have time to check every item before the sale takes place. Hopefully, you will. If wondering when you will see these in the Coxrail database, look for them in the mid-December database update. While some of these items appear for sale a few times per year, I have already alerted you to a few items that probably won't appear more than once or twice per CENTURY. If you miss them now, you are unlikely to ever have a second chance.
Just sayin!
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