Western Wonders

The 30th annual Brian Lebel’s Old West Show & Auction brings some of the West’s best art and artifacts to Mesa, Arizona.

Featuring items from some of the finest Western artists and craftsmen, the 30th annual Brian Lebel’s Old West Show & Auction returns to Mesa, Arizona, this January 24 through 26. Not only will the auction, held on January 25 at 5 p.m., have plenty of Western art, but it will also offer up a slice of life in the great Old West with authentic Western artifacts. Past auctions have included everything from rifles, revolvers, saddles and chaps to Native American blankets, saloon bottles and poker chips. The 2020 rendition of the auction will include roughly 300 lots of Western art, antiques and artifacts.A look at the 2019 Brian Lebel’s Old West Show & Auction.

Visitors browse the Manitou Galleries booth at last year’s event.“What we offer at our shows isn’t just objects. It’s a Western way of life,” says show and auction owner Brian Lebel. “And most of these collectors are buying it for themselves, and not just to show off to their friends. When you buy a Picasso or a Maserati your neighbors understand what those things are when they see them. But our top collectors are paying $100,000 for a set of spurs or $50,000 for a parade saddle. They’re not doing it to impress the neighbors. They’re collecting those things because it’s what they love and they believe in the Western way of life, whether it’s spurs or a saddle, or even a Pueblo pot or a Navajo weaving or a piece of turquoise jewelry.”Native American textiles and jewelry on display at the Ranchfolks Navajo Rug Co. booth.

Engraved Colt 1860 Army Revolver (Cordy Rich Collection), ca. 1865 Estimate: $16/18,000

Among the artists featured in the auction portion of the weekend event are Louis Akin, Roy Andersen, Bill Anton, Joe Beeler, Edward Borein, Gary Carter, Michael Coleman, Edward S. Curtis, Maynard Dixon, Mikel Donahue, Nick Eggenhofer, Veryl Goodnight, Bruce Greene, Paul Herzel, Will James, Dave McGary, Gerry Metz, Eric Michaels, Herb Mignery, Carl Moon, Gary Morton, Chris Navarro, Edgar S. Paxson, George Phippen, H.R. Poore, James Reynolds, Charles M. Russell, Harry Schaare, Olaf Wieghorst and William Zivic.James Reynolds, Catalinas Roundup, oil on canvas, 18 x 24” Estimate: $15/20,000

Olaf Wieghorst (1899-1988), Reflections, oil on canvas, 20 x 24” Estimate: $10/15,000Works to watch include Wieghorst’s oil on canvas Pintos (est. $15/20,000) and Reflections ($10/15,000); Reynolds’ Catalinas Roundup (est. $15/20,000); and Paxson’s watercolor Cheyenne Brave (est. $10/14,000).

Artifacts and antique include a carved saddle from the Roy Anderson Collection by Traditional Cowboy Arts Association member Chuck Stormes (est. $12/16,000); a Plains beaded pipe bag circa the 1890s (est. $7/9,000); and a vintage photograph by Akin titled On the Santa Fe (Navahoes at Race, Arizona) (est. $3.5/4,500) are also expected to go for a pretty penny. Olaf Wieghorst (1899-1988), Pintos, oil on canvas, 28 x 38” Estimate: $15/20,000

In addition to the Saturday auction, a special auction of the Cordy Rich Collection will be held on Friday night at 6 p.m. The January 24 auction will feature approximately 225 lots estimated at over half a million dollars. In the collection are a number of Deluxe Winchester rifles and an engraved Colt 1860 Army revolver, circa 1865, estimated between $16,000 to $18,000.

Brian Lebel’s Old West Show & Auction will also feature more than 180 vendors of authentic Western art, antiques, apparel, jewelry, collectibles, historical artifacts, cowboy gear, Native American arts, antique firearms, decor, books, boots and much more on both Saturday and Sunday. —

Brian Lebel’s Old West Show & Auction
January 25-27, 2020;
Cordy Rich Collection auction, January 24, 6 p.m.
Auction, January 25, 5 p.m.
Show, January 25, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and January 26, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center Street, Mesa, AZ 85201
(480) 779-9378, www.oldwestevents.com