A virtual screening of the award winning short film "Disabled Artist Showcase:Creating Our Spaces" directed by disabled award winning filmmaker Emmitt H Thrower.

New York City, NY, January 3, 2023 -- On January 21, 2023 (@) 6:30 PM EDT, Wabi Sabi Productions Inc, A 501 (c)3 will be producing a public virtual film screening of the award winning short film "Disabled Artist Showcase: Creating Our Spaces" on Youtube Live.

The film is directed by award winning disabled filmmaker Emmitt H Thrower. The film features four disabled artists/activists. Vocalist and lyricist James Ian and director Dominick Evans both have the rare disease SMA (Spinal Muscle Atrophy). Dominick has multiple other less visible disabilities. He is non binary and is a part of the trans community. Their music video entitled "Spaces" was sponsored by Genentech as part of the company's SMA My Way program. The music video won "music video of the year" at the 2022 Wavy Awards held in NYC. James Ian was the vocalist and songwriter of "Spaces" while Dominick Evans was the virtual director. James is a resident of Los Angeles while Dominick is a resident of Ohio.

Leroy Moore Jr. and Keith Jones both have cerebral palsy. They are co-founder of the international organization of disabled musicians and poets called "Krip Hop Nation." Leroy is currently working on his PhD at UCLA and is also a poet and journalist. Keith Jones is currently planning the launching of "DA CHNL", a disabled educational and entertainment tv channel available on Roku TV via subscription. The channel will be featuring disability related content. The channel is made more accessible to the disability community by using all the modern technology at its disposal and the more traditional aids such as closed caption, ADR, sign language, etc.

Leroy and Keith created a music video entitled "A Blindman Stood on the Road and Cried" which is a tribute to the late Josh White Sr.'s song with the same name. The lyrics were written by Leroy Moore Jr. and the music was composed by Keith Jones. The music video was shot in Los Angeles , Ca by Erick Matus and produced by Wabi Sabi Productions Inc. The concept was created by the director Emmitt H Thrower. Both of the described music videos are featured in the documentary.

Emmitt H Thrower is the CEO and founder of Wabi Sabi Productions Inc. He is an award winning disabled filmmaker, producer, director, actor, writer and music publisher. Emmitt is a stroke survivor with loss of vision in one eye and impaired vision in the other. He also deals with some mobility issues caused by the stroke he had in 2001. Emmitt is the author of a recently released kindle book and Audible audiobook entitled "New Borning: A Bronx Tale". It is autobiographical and historical as it chronicles his journey recovering from his stroke 2001 and the development of the Bronx from then to the present. The book is available on Amazon, Audible and The ITunes platforms beginning in January 2023. The book will also be release later in 2023 as a "Cinema Book". A cinema book or watch book, is a book you watch instead of reading. It is an cinematic version of the autobiographical audio book. This new book concept is the brainchild of Emmitt as a way to create a visual and auditory movie like experience that enhances the book experience in a new way. This version of the book provides additional aid and a unique experiences for all book lovers including those with disabilities .

Film Trailer and event details
Event Link Youtube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVEgFaaCaOY

Media Contact:
Emmitt H Thrower
Wabi Sabi Productions Inc
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Visit us on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wabisabipod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmitt-h-thrower-b3b6727/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmQxwizkNiDg0-A9eth13sA

Reno, NV, USA, December 31, 2022 -- Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC will greet the New Year with a special, online-only, two-day Philatelic & Dealer Auction on January 7th and 8th, beginning at 8 am Pacific time both days. The sale will be hosted exclusively on iCollector.com (Holabird’s preferred online bidding platform) and will feature old and new items from important collections.

Over 1,500 lots will come up for bid across the two days with categories that include Civil War, Indian Territory, Kansas and Missouri covers from the Gary Bracken collection, California and Oregon postcards from the Ken Prag collection, general Americana, stocks, philatelic (stamps), books, mining, sports and more, with most lots having even their high estimates lower than $500.

“Welcome, collectors, to a new year of exciting auctions,” said Fred Holabird, the president and owner of Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC, based in Reno. “Our 2023 resolution is to continue to bring fantastic history at auction to collectors, dealers and institutions from around the world. We hope everyone has resolved to keep building their collections and/or inventories.”

Mr. Holabird added, “This is an ‘auto-pilot’ auction, so there won't be a live auctioneer or audio/video feed. But folks will be able to log into an auction console, place live bids and watch the progression of the auction. And, to get the bidding going, we’ve lowered opening prices on every lot in the catalog, which has material that’s perfect for collectors and Americana dealers.”

It is a timed auction, with Session 1, on January 7th, featuring general Americana (to include geographic sort, jewelry and sports), over 100 lots of mining collectibles and nearly 200 lots of general books. Session 2, on January 8th, will contain 480 lots of philatelic (including covers and stamps and postcards), and stocks and bonds (mining, railroad and miscellaneous categories).

One of the star lots of Session 1 is a pair of advertising die cuts for businesses in Colorado from the 1890s, framed (est. $100-$500). They include one for Birks Conforth, Grocer in Denver, featuring a young girl wearing a sun hat surrounded by produce; and one for A.L. Welch & Co., Dry Goods in Denver, with an image of a boy looking at a painting titled The Young Critic.

Leadville, Colorado will take center stage in lot 1490, with two birds-eye views: a stereo view of Guernsey’s Rocky Mountain Views, dated in pencil 1879; and a cabinet card by W.H. Jackson, showing mine dumps and shafts (est. $320-$800); and lot 1099, a group of three Leadville collectibles from the era: a metal plaque for Leadville Light & Power Co., a leather eyeglass case for F.J. Mund, Optician, and a leather wallet from Tompkins-LaSalle Hardware (est. 50-$150).

An official map from Beaverhead County, Montana from 1901, compiled from the latest official records of George R. Metlen, county surveyor, civil and mining engineer in Dillon, Montana, 44 inches by 55 inches, should realize $140-$500; while a Copper Manual, published in 1899 by D. Houston & Co., Metal Brokers (N.Y., Vol. 2, 398 pages), describing copper mines, copper statistics, copper shares and a summary of information on copper, is expected to bring $70-$200.

The jewelry category will be led by a beautiful ocean blue Amazonite pendant set with a diamond halo totaling 0.27 carats for extra sparkle. The must-see necklace carries a pre-sale estimate of $200-$450. Also, a group of four belt buckles made by Art Industries in 1979, for Billings, Mont. (limited edition of 850), Butte, Montana (limited edition of 850), Denver, Colo. (limited edition of 2500) and Rocket Sales Rental, Inc., is expected to command $70-$200.

A book titled The Columbian Gallery A Portfolio of Photographs from the (Chicago) World's Fair, including the chief palaces, interiors, statuary, architectural and scenic groups, characters, typical exhibits and Marvels of the Midway Plaisance (Werner Co., Chicago, 1894), should reach $130-$300. Also, a group of four sports medals (or pinbacks), including a rodeo souvenir, a 1925 basketball medal, wrestling, golf and baseball, has an estimate of $80-$120.

Session 2 philatelic offerings will include a Civil War cover postmarked Clinton, Missouri, with a detailed vignette of a soldier and an American flag and a woman pointing to a Rebel camp and saying, “Take this and strike down your traitorous flag” (est. $500-$300). Also up for bid is a fabulous presentation of a Flint, Cherokee Nation postmark with Maltese cross cancels on Sc 84 and 87 stamps, dated 1881 (est. $50-$150). The post office was operational from 1846 to 1896.

Antique stock certificates are hugely popular at Holabird auctions. A few being sold are these:

- A Brennus Gold & Silver Mining Company (Devil’s Gate Mining District, El Dorado Ledge, Lyon Cty., Nevada) stock certificate with a very early number (7) for five shares issued to T. Forcade, dated Feb. 9, 1863, signed by pres. L. Rowland (est. $300-$600).

- A Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company stock certificate for 100 shares, issued to S.F. Stanton on Aug. 24, 1880, signed by pres. Jay Gould and secretary Clemson (est. $210-$500). Jay Gould (1836-1892) was one of the “robber barons” of the Gilded Age.

- A Buena Vista G&S (Prince Royal District, Humboldt Cty., Nevada Territory) stock certificate #40 for five shares, issued to T.J. Jenkins on Aug. 21, 1863, datelined San Francisco, with a vignette of a miner pushing an ore cart out of a tunnel (est. $200-$500).

- A very rare Fourth of July (Mining) Company (Ruby City, Montana, but listed as Ruby City, Okanogan Cty., Wash.) stock certificate #221 with a Morgan silver dollar vignette, issued to Thomas Donovan on Nov. 25, 1891, datelined Helena, Mont. (est. $110-$500).

Real photo postcards are another big draw at Holabird sales. Ones up for bid will include a rare RPC of buildings in Russell, Gulch, Colorado in 1908 (est. $100-$500); and two nice Cripple Creek, Colorado RPCs, one of The Portland Mine (“Colorado’s Greatest Gold Mine”) and one of the center of the Cripple Creek Mining District, complete with identified mines (est. $100-$500).

Internet bidding will be provided exclusively by iCollector.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Color catalogs are available by calling 1-844-492-2766, or 775-851-1859.

Anyone owning a collection that might fit into a Holabird Western Americana Collections auction is encouraged to get in touch. The firm travels throughout the U.S., to see and pick up collections. The company has agents all over America and will travel to inspect most collections.

To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, and the two-day Philatelic & Dealer Auction on January 7th-8th, at 8 am Pacific time both days, visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted often.

Part 2 of the Andy Yanchus collection – 564 lots of rare and vintage comics and comic art gathered over the course of a lifetime by the renowned hobbyist – will come up for bid on New Year’s Day, Sunday, January 1st, beginning at 12 noon Eastern time, by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, online and live in the Bruneau & Co. gallery at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston.

Part 1 of the collection, which consisted of plastic models, diecast toys, American models and vintage toys from the 1960s thru the 1990s, was sold on September 17th, also by Bruneau & Co. A series of further auctions will also be conducted throughout the year, featuring more of Mr. Yanchus’s models, toys and more. Part 2 will be Bruneau & Co.’s largest comic auction to date.

Andy Yanchus was born and raised in Brooklyn and amassed his collection in his lifelong home. His passion for collecting goes back to early childhood and his love for building and displaying models led him to attend the Pratt School of Industrial Design in New York and to go on to have a ten-year career with Aurora Plastics. While at Aurora, he rose to the level of Project Manager.

Yanchus then became a staff colorist with Marvel Comics, a job he held for 17 years. He worked on Amazing Spider-Man, X-Men, Alpha Flight and G.I. Joe, among other titles. He also worked alongside Marvel great Dave Cockrum (1943-2006) and the two men became lifelong friends. Cockrum co-created the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus and Mystique.

“Many of the books in the Part 2 sale are the highest graded examples available. We couldn’t be prouder,” said Travis Landry, Bruneau & Co.’s Director of Pop Culture and an auctioneer. “It also includes a large selection of Andy’s original artwork from when he worked at Marvel. His friendship with Dave Cockrum produced an unreleased Ms. Marvel cover they did together.”

Also offered will be Cockrum’s original ink and watercolor box art for Aurora Plastics and the Metaluna Mutant model, from the 1955 film This Island Earth. Cockrum brought the mutant to life on the 20 inch by 14 inch paper circa 1974 with an ominous red background. It’s signed “Cockrum”. The Metaluna Mutant has gained cult status over the years (est. $7,000-$10,000).

A copy of Marvel Comics Tales to Astonish #90 (April 1967), graded CGC 9.8, featuring the first appearance of the Abomination and the first Silver Age appearance of Byrrah, has a pre-sale estimate of $10,000-$15,000. The comic is one of eight known and, per the CGC census, none are graded higher than 9.8. Remarkably, it sat unbagged in Andy’s collection for over 55 years.

A copy of Gold Key Green Hornet #1 (Feb. 1967), graded CGC 9.8, based on the Green Hornet ABC television series and featuring a Bruce Lee and Van Williams photo cover, should realize $5,000-$8,000. The book is one of two in the CGC census graded 9.8, with none graded higher, and per GP Analysis a 9.8 copy has never been sold on the open market; a 9.6 sold in Dec. 2011.

A copy of Marvel Comics Marvel Premiere #28 (Feb. 1976), graded CGC 9.8, featuring the first appearance of the Legion of Monsters, is estimated to bring $3,000-$5,000. As the MCU moves into phase 5 we have already been introduced to Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night and Morbius. Per the CGC census, 25 known copies of the comic are graded at 9.8, with none graded higher.

A copy of Marvel Comics Marvel Spotlight #5 (Aug. 1972), graded CGC 9.0, featuring the origin and first appearance of Ghost Rider and the first appearance of Roxanne Simpson, has a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$5,000. Per the CGC census, 253 are graded in 9.0; 304 are higher.

The original cover color guide to the unreleased Marvel Comics Black Panther #16 (July 1979), the stat paper page of cover artwork by Rich Buckler and Bob McLeod and hand-colored by Andy Yanchus with color codes and due date hand-written on verso, should finish at $1,000-$2,000. Jack Kirby’s Black Panther series ran to issue 15; this book was written but unpublished.

An original 1980 birthday card drawing by Dave Cockrum for Andy Yanchus’s 36th birthday, decorated with the Blackhawk team and Chop Chop holding a birthday cake has an estimate of $1,000-$2,000. The drawing is signed “Cockrum 80” and annotated, “Best Wishes from Dave and Paty!” This unique piece nicely captures the career and friendship of two Marvel legends.

A copy of Marvel Comics Rawhide Kid #52 (June 1966), graded CGC 9.8, featuring a story, cover and art by Larry Lieber, is expected to change hands for $1,000-$1,500. Per the CGC census, this is the single highest graded copy (9.8) of this Silver Age classic in the world. Also up for bid will be a copy of Marvel Comics Silver Surfer #3, graded well at 9.6

Nearly 50 comic books from Andy Yanchus’s collection were graded 9.8, while hundreds of other high-grade books were 9.0 and higher. Comic art highlights, meanwhile, will include the full story color guides to Amazing Spider-Man #238, Shogun Warriors #1 and Alpha Flight #1.

Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com and the mobile app “Bruneau & Co.” on iTunes or GooglePlay. Doors will open on auction day at 10 am Eastern time. Previews will be by appointment if needed. To schedule an appointment call 401-533-9980, or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and Part 2 of the Andy Yanchus collection slated for New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2023 visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates are posted often.

An auction of 270 never-before-offered historic California Gold Rush sunken treasure artifacts attracted nearly $1 million in sales from more than 7,500 registered bidders from across the United States and in six other countries. The recovered jewelry, mid-1800s clothing, glassware, and other items were retrieved from the legendary “Ship of Gold,” the S.S. Central America that sank during a voyage to New York in 1857.

“There has never been anything like the scope of these recovered artifacts which represented a time capsule of daily life during the Gold Rush. The auction took over eight hours for only 270 lots because of the exceptionally large number of bids,” said Fred Holabird, president of Holabird Western Americana Collections (www.HolabirdAmericana.com), the auction company that conducted the sale in Reno, Nevada and online on December 3, 2022.

Holabird advised there will be only one more opportunity to acquire previously unavailable S.S. Central America artifacts when the last items recovered from the fabled ship are offered in a public auction on February 25, 2023.

Highlights of the December auction included the unique wooden lid to a Wells Fargo & Co. treasure box that that sold for $99,600; the purser’s keys to the ship’s treasure room where tons of Gold Rush coins and assayers’ ingots were stored brought $103,200; and the oldest known pair of miner’s heavy-duty work pants sold for $114,000, the highest price ever paid for jeans.

“Those miner’s jeans are like the first flag on the moon, a historic moment in history. We can precisely date them because we know the Central America sank during a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean on September 12, 1857. There are no earlier five-button fly jeans in existence,” said Dwight Manley, managing partner of the California Gold Marketing Group, consignor of the recovered artifacts.

The auction catalog contained an extensive explanation of why the jeans may have been made by or for Levi Strauss Company. The miner’s pants and early Brooks Brothers undershirts with the company’s famous emblem were discovered in 1991 in the first-class passenger trunk of merchant and Mexican-American War military veteran John Dement of Oregon.

Two of the three recovered Brooks Brothers shirts were offered in the auction and sold for $3,240 and $1,320 respectively. A third shirt will be in the February auction. An 1849 edition of the novel, “The Count of Monte Cristo,” also found in Dement’s trunk, sold for $3,720.

A treasure trove of 1850s high fashion, recovered from the trunk of first-class passengers Ansel and Adeline Easton of San Francisco, included men’s scarves, bow ties, cravats, collars, dress shirts, vests, jackets, dress pants, and socks, as well as women’s bloomers, dresses, evening gowns, and gloves.

Winning bids on those items ranged from $100 to $200 for pairs of socks to $4,800 for a shirt made for the Easton’s friend, William C. Ralston, co-founder of the Bank of California, which was also found in the Easton’s trunk. It apparently was being taken to New York to have more shirts made for Ralston.

“Ansel and Adeline Easton were San Francisco ‘royalty’ on their honeymoon trip to New York when the legendary S.S. Central America sank in a hurricane in September 1857. Adeline survived in a lifeboat; Ansel clung to debris in the water for hours after the ship sank until he was rescued by the crew from another ship,” said Holabird.

“Ansel was a wealthy maritime provisions supplier and Adeline’s brother, D.O. Mills, was a co-founder of the Bank of California,” he explained.

Bidders also paid $26,400 for a circa 1851 gold watch cover depicting a miner and Yerba Buena which later became San Francisco; $14,400 for a ring made with a large gold-in-quartz gemstone; a stick pin with two gold nuggets went for $12,000; the winning bidder paid $3,360 for a white ceramic coffee cup decorated with gold lettering “To My Mother.”

An 1849 Colt pocket pistol sold for $30,000; and three sets of matched, brass luggage tags indicating the bags were going from San Francisco to New York via Panama sold for $5,640.

Four black glass beer bottles, some with the remaining dregs of their original contents, were sold for $1,200 to $1,680 each, and a whiskey bottle from the ship’s saloon brought $1,920. A rare medal of the order of Saint Maurice and Saint Lazarus, one of the world’s oldest orders of knighthood, sold for $13,200.

A $20 denomination gold coin struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1856 and later stamped with an advertising message by Sacramento, California drug store owner J. Polhemus set a record for one of his counter-stamped coins at $43,200.

The Central America was carrying tons of Gold Rush treasure from San Francisco and the northern California area when she sank 7,200 feet deep in the Atlantic off the North Carolina coast while on a voyage from Panama to New York City. Recovery missions were made in 1988 to 1991 and again in 2014.

Most of the recovered coins and gold bars were sold starting in 2000. The unique items in this auction and the one scheduled for February were kept in secure storage since their recovery.

Insurance claims for the loss were paid in the 1850s and the company that discovered and retrieved the treasure starting in 1988 settled with the insurers and their successors in 1998. With court approval, California Gold Marketing Group subsequently acquired clear title to all of that remaining treasure as well as all the items recovered in 2014.

All prices include a 20 percent buyer’s fee added to all winning bids. For additional information about the auction and the upcoming February 2023 auction of S.S. Central America artifacts, visit Holabird Western Americana Collections of Reno, Nevada at www.HolabirdAmericana.com, call 775-851-1859, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..