Reno fine art auction attendance records were shattered as over 600 people packed the sales room of the Silver Legacy Resort for the recent annual Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, one of the largest auctions in the country of classic Western wildlife and sporting art.

Bidding was enthusiastic across the board, grossing well in excess of $10 million and an unprecedented 99 percent sale, leaving only four rdf_Descriptions out of 246 unsold.

Telephone and absentee bidding from around the country was brisk throughout the sale, adding to the energy and drama in the room, particularly for some of the larger rdf_Descriptions. New auction records were established for many artists, as 37 percent of all rdf_Descriptions sold exceeded their pre-sale high estimate.

Two of the major paintings broke through the $1 million barrier, with the cover lot, Charles M. Russell’s 18 by 28-inch watercolor entitled “Trail of the Iron Horse” (1924) selling for $1,036,000 and a rare large oil painting of a Native American village by Alfred Jacob Miller consigned by the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, painted circa 1850, measuring 30 by 40 inches, selling for $1,064,000. Both paintings were estimated at $600,000 to $900,000.

Other highlights included: Charles M. Russell, “Trails Plowed Under,” pen and ink, $39,200 ($15/20,000); Charles M. Russell, “The Kindergarten,” oil on board, $392,000 ($100/150,000); Olaf Wieghorst, “Beef Herd,” oil on canvas, $168,000 ($60/80,000); A. Phimister Proctor, “The Q Street Buffalo,” bronze, $78,400 ($20/30,000); Edgar Paxson, “The Old Guide,” oil on canvas, $95,200 ($40/60,000); Edgar Payne, “Navajo Riders,” oil on canvas $347,000 ($150/250,000).

All prices include a 12 percent buyer’s premium.