“You never know what you’re going to find in Pahrump.”
Those words can be attributed to Clark County Public Auctioneer Ron Gipson, as a veritable treasure trove of artifacts sits in a home on the far west end of town.
The 70-year personal collection belonged to two brothers, Gunter and Horst Schulz, who moved to Pahrump from Glendale, California several years ago.
The auction will have treasured items from the Prussian, World War I and World War II eras, along with firearms, game mounts and more than 50 bronze works of art, and more.
Both brothers have since passed away.
As a result, the administrators of their estate are putting the items up for auction, to be held at 10 a.m., Aug. 12 at the Pahrump Nugget on Highway 160.
“The administrators came to us and asked us to sell the items,” Gipson said. “They talked to us about the items and we came over to have a look at them. It was just an incredible amount of items. We went ahead and contracted with them and we will be doing the auction.”
Works of art
Gipson described the estate as “incredible.”
“There are over 60 professional trophy mounts in the house and more than 50 bronze works of art including Frederic Remington and French bronze sculptor Jules Moigniez,” he said. “There’s also cherry wood handmade Brazilian furniture and German steins. There are many, many items of World War II German memorabilia. I understand a lot of people collect those items for historical purposes.”
Headhunters
Upon walking inside the home for the first time, Gipson said the sights were breathtaking, as numerous heads of game animals from around the world were mounted along each wall of the residence.
He noted that both brothers were avid hunters who traveled around the world.
“Most of their hunting was done in the United States, but they did do some hunting overseas for the Cape buffalo,” Gipson said. “They took down the animals and paid a taxidermist to taxidermy them. You walk into the house and the first thing you see are these huge mounts all over the walls. There’s going to be around four hundred items that will be up for auction. There will also be items from other estates. I will have some classic vehicles coming through, including a 1964 pickup truck and a very nice antique Cadillac.”
Pristine condition
Additionally, Gipson spoke about the numerous pieces of artwork and other collectibles throughout the home.
“When I started to walk around, I just began noticing all the bronze art,” he said. “We have items from the Prussian War all the way up through World War II. We also have some incredible ancient Bibles from the early 1800s. Most of these items are in mint condition because the brothers were actually collectors. They kept everything they had in pristine condition.”
Pieces of history
Rare firearms, along with Prussian and WWII German military artifacts, Gipson noted, are also on the auction block, including authentic uniforms and helmets known as Prussian Pickelhaubes, which were the spiked helmets worn in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by German military troops.
Numerous daggers and swords are also part of the lot.
Globetrotters
“We also have authentic Prussian military uniforms and there’s also a very unique antique drilling gun, which is a three-barrel rifle made in Germany,” he said. “The brothers were born in Germany. At a very young age, they migrated to Brazil. They lived in Brazil for a while then moved to Canada and then on to the United States. When I first saw all of the items inside the home it was absolutely breathtaking.”
Bidding from home
Those who can’t join the auction in person can still take part, as Gipson spoke about online bidding, at the website, 2seesales.com
“Those who are interested can start bidding right now online,” he said. “There’s a link on that website that takes you straight to the catalog. People have already started prebidding on the items. You can bid competitively online, where you will be able to hear our voices. They can also send us messages and talk to us just like they are at the auction, but you’re at your own home, participating at your own convenience. We already started accepting bids online.”
Gipson said he’s also hosting a preview of the items the day before the auction.
“It will be on Friday, August 11th between noon and 6 p.m.,” he said. “People can come down and take a look at what we have, write down some notes and do their research so they can be prepared to participate on Saturday.”
Those who have additional questions about the auction, can contact Gipson prior to the auction at 775-513-9362.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com, on Twitter: @pvtimes