SOLD
350.00USDto b**********w+ buyer's premium (87.50)
This item SOLD at 2026 Nov 06 @ 11:32UTC-08 : PST/AKDT
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FINAL AUCTION RECORD The Auctioneer’s podium notes serve as the final, legally binding record of the auction results, superseding any electronic bidding records. See Terms and Conditions
c.1885-1886. Rare pre-1900 Lyon County, Nevada token.
The name “Joseph Schreck” may as well be “Joseph Smith.” There were literally dozens (or more!) of men with this name throughout the USA from circa 1880-1915.
The Brunswick, Balke, Collender name was used 1884-1915. This company manufactured pool/billiard tables for saloons and provided tokens with the local merchant name on one side, and their name and pool table logo on the other side.
This existing example was found in Nevada decades ago and was part of the Hoskins – Dunn – Schilling inventory of the early 1970s that led to the publication of the 1990 Nevada Token Book.
Only one listing in any available directory for J. Schreck was located, and that in an 1886 Bradstreet Business Credit Ratings Directory. J. Schreck was a hotel owner in Sweetwater that year.
Sweetwater was a mining camp and way station near Bodie. Stagecoaches from Carson and Hawthorne passed through Sweetwater regularly, with advertisements appearing in local newspapers. It is not to be confused with the Sweetwater mines of the Hamilton/ Treasure Hill region of White Pine County, Nevada.
Sweetwater, Nevada originated in the late 1850s as a ranching settlement and rapidly grew into a crucial station stop along the Carson-to-Aurora stagecoach line. Located in a narrow valley in Lyon County beneath the Sweetwater Mountains, the town functioned primarily as a major freight, resupply, and social hub for the region's booming mining districts. Between 1880 and 1884, the adjacent Patterson Mining District exploded with activity, yielding over $500,000 in gold and silver and giving rise to half a dozen surrounding high-altitude mining camps like Clinton and Belfort. A post office established at Sweetwater in 1870 operated alongside a thriving general store and a historic 24-room hotel and dance hall. As regional mining dried up and transportation routes shifted, the town steadily declined until its post office permanently closed in 1925, leaving behind a rich legacy that is preserved today by local ranching properties.
As an isolated community on the border of Nevada and California, it was generally missed by directory canvassers. As an example, Sweetwater was missed by McKinney in 1886.
Commercial ratings directories of the 1890s did not show Schreck at Sweetwater: Pickins Fulton in 1893 and Dunn (or Bradstreet, note not made on xerox copy, 1898) had no Schreck, nor any of the later directories. The 1907 Polk listed only a few businesses that attended to a population of about 50 people in Sweetwater. On newspapers.com, we found later (c.1910s) mentions of Schreck brothers (including Joseph Schreck) as ranchers in Smith Valley, Nevada (so still in Lyon County). We feel very confident about this attribution.
Interestingly, on tokencatalog.com, they have the token listed as a Schenectady, New York saloon (citing 1908 Dun directory listing,) but there is virtually nothing in newspapers.com or elsewhere, so that attribution is an apparent fantasy.
Pop in 1990: 1. Possibly unique.
Obverse: Good For/ 5c/ Joseph Schreck/ In/ Trade
Reverse: Brunswick Balke Collender, pool table pictorial
Shape/Metal: oct, br
Town: Sweetwater, Nevada
Auction Location:
701 Gold Run Court, Reno, Nevada, 89521, United States
Previewing Details:
By appointment with Fred Holabird (775-843-0229)
or Uwe (775-247-4350)
Nevada State Sales Tax
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NSST |
8.375% |
Nevada Sales Tax |
| CSST |
8% |
California Sales Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
25% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
SHIPPING AND PICKUP
Domestic shipping is a flat $15 per successful buyer, regardless of how many tokens are purchased, by USPS Priority Mail. Alternate shipping, including FedEx, is at the buyer's expense. International shipping is charged at actual cost. Purchases will be shipped after the invoice and applicable shipping charges are paid in full and payment clears. Buyers must provide an accurate delivery address. Contact Fred Holabird (775-843-0229)in advance to arrange pickup. Promptly report shipment loss or damage and retain packaging for any carrier claim.
Payment Details:
Due on receipt of invoice. Automatic payment will be processed with the credit card on file 5-7 days after invoicing for any unpaid balances.
Accepted Payment Methods:
- VISA
- Master Card
- AMEX
- Discover
- Money Order/Bank Draft
- Check/Cheque
- COD (cash on delivery)
- PayPal
- Wire Transfer
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Auction Conducted by Holabird Mining, Environmental and Historical, LLC.
1. ACCEPTANCE AND PARTICIPATION
This is a private, invitation-only auction. By registering, placing a bid, or otherwise participating, bidders accept these Terms and Conditions. Bidders must provide accurate contact information and are responsible for purchases made under their bidder account.
2. BUYER'S PREMIUM, INVOICING AND PAYMENT
A 25% buyer's premium will be added to the hammer price of every lot. This premium includes payment-processing fees; applicable sales tax and shipping are additional. Invoices will be sent on the day of the sale. Full payment is due within ten calendar days after the sale, unless other arrangements have been made in advance. Payment may be made by check, cash or PayPal. Purchases may be held until payment clears. Returned checks are subject to a $25 fee, to the extent permitted by law.
3. SALES TAX AND RESALE EXEMPTIONS
Applicable sales or use tax will be collected as required by law, using the rate applicable to the transaction. Dealers claiming a resale exemption must submit valid state resale documentation before invoicing. Nevada and California dealers must provide their valid state resale license and any required resale certificate. No resale exemption will be granted without the required documentation.
3. BIDDING METHODS AND DEADLINES
Bidding is available in person, by telephone, by absentee bid, and through iCollector. Telephone bidding must be arranged in advance. Online bidders must register with iCollector before bidding. Mail bids must be received before the auction begins. Allow sufficient time for delivery and processing; sending a bid does not establish that it was received. Bidders must supply correct lot numbers and maximum bid amounts.
4. BID AMOUNTS AND ABSENTEE BIDS
All bids must be in U.S. dollars and whole-dollar amounts, using the increments published below. Nonconforming amounts may be rounded to the nearest permitted increment. An absentee bid is the maximum hammer price the bidder authorizes, excluding buyer's premium, tax and shipping. Absentee bids will be executed competitively, at the lowest permitted amount needed to prevail against competing bids and meet any stated minimum or reserve, up to the bidder's maximum. Withdrawn lots will not be sold.
From: to: Increment:
$1 $95 $5
$100 $190 $10
$200 $475 $25
$500 $1,450 $50
$1,500 $3,400 $100
$3,500 $9,750 $250
$10,000 $30,000 $500
5. BID CORRECTIONS AND COMPLETION OF SALE
Contact Fred Holabird promptly by telephone at 775-843-0229 to correct or withdraw a bid submitted in error. For online bids, also follow iCollector's procedures. Do not assume a correction has been processed without confirmation. A lot is sold when the auctioneer announces its sale by the fall of the hammer or another customary announcement. The successful bidder then becomes obligated to pay the hammer price, buyer's premium, applicable tax and shipping.
6. AUCTIONEER'S AUTHORITY AND RECORD
The auctioneer may reject bids not made in good faith, determine bidding increments, resolve tie bids and immediate bidding disputes, and reopen bidding where permitted by law. Tie bids are generally awarded to the first bid recognized by the auctioneer. The auctioneer's final sale record controls in the event of a discrepancy with an electronic bidding display.
7. SHIPPING AND PICKUP
Domestic shipping is a flat $15 per successful buyer, regardless of how many tokens are purchased, by USPS Priority Mail. Alternate shipping, including FedEx, is at the buyer's expense. International shipping is charged at actual cost. Purchases will be shipped after the invoice and applicable shipping charges are paid in full and payment clears. Buyers must provide an accurate delivery address. Contact Fred Holabird in advance to arrange pickup. Promptly report shipment loss or damage and retain packaging for any carrier claim.
8. CONDITION, DESCRIPTIONS AND AUTHENTICITY
Bidders should inspect lots or review descriptions and photographs before bidding. Previews are available by appointment. Condition assessments are subjective; descriptions and photographs may not identify every detail, imperfection or item in a multiple-item lot. Ask questions before bidding. Items are guaranteed authentic unless otherwise stated in the lot description. This express guarantee is retained and is not canceled by the final-sale policy below.
9. FINAL SALES AND CLAIMS
All sales are final. No returns for changes of mind, bidding errors, buyer preferences or condition matters disclosed or reasonably apparent before bidding. If a buyer believes an item is not authentic or was materially misdescribed, contact Fred Holabird promptly, preferably within ten days of receipt, with supporting information. Any claim will be reviewed under the express authenticity guarantee and applicable law. Do not alter an item or return it without written authorization. These terms do not exclude remedies that applicable law requires.
10. NONPAYMENT AND RESALE
If payment is overdue, the Company may withhold delivery, cancel the transaction, decline future bids and pursue lawful collection remedies. Unpaid lots may be resold after any notice required by law. To the extent permitted by law, the defaulting bidder is responsible for any recoverable shortfall and reasonable resale and collection costs, with credit given for payments received, resale proceeds and expenses saved. Cancellation or resale does not automatically discharge the bidder's outstanding obligations. Recovery will not duplicate amounts already recovered.
11. UNCLAIMED PURCHASES
Buyers must arrange shipment or pickup within thirty days after the auction unless an extension is agreed in advance. If paid purchases remain unclaimed, the Company will send written notice to the buyer's supplied contact information and allow at least fifteen additional days to make arrangements. Any storage charges must be disclosed in that notice before they begin. Continued failure to make arrangements may result in further action permitted by law, following required notice. Paid merchandise is not automatically forfeited merely because thirty days have elapsed.
12. LIABILITY, DISPUTES AND GOVERNING LAW
Nevada law governs this sale. To the extent permitted by law, the Company is not liable for incidental or consequential damages arising from the auction, and the bidder's remedy for a proven act or omission by the Company is rescission of the affected sale and refund of the amount paid for that purchase. These limitations do not exclude liability or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded. Disputes shall be heard exclusively in a court of competent jurisdiction in Washoe County, Nevada, and the parties consent to that jurisdiction. To the extent permitted by law, the parties waive trial by jury, and an action for breach of the sale contract must be commenced within one year after the claim accrues. The prevailing party may recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs to the extent permitted by law. If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain effective.