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Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Auction: The Earp Brothers & Cowboys

Sat, Jul 26, 2025 11:00AM EDT
  2025-07-26 11:00:00 2025-07-26 11:00:00 America/New_York North American Auction Company North American Auction Company : Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Auction: The Earp Brothers & Cowboys https://live.naabid.com/auctions/north-american-auction/tombstone-western-heritage-museum-auction-the-earp-brothers-cowboys-20021
Join North American Auction Company on July 26th for a once-in-a-lifetime auction of the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Collection. This extraordinary sale features the largest private collection of Tombstone history, including rare and historic pieces tied to Wyatt Earp, the Earp Brothers, and the infamous Cochise Cowboys. From original artifacts, outlaw relics, and the largest collection of C.S. Fly photographs, this is a can’t-miss event for collectors of the Old West’s most legendary chapter.
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Lot 780

EXCAVATED Bird Cage Theater Soiled Dove Artifacts

Estimate: $600 - $800
Starting Bid
$200

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
Featured in this lot is this excavated Tombstone, Arizona Territory Bird Cage Theater "Soiled Dove" artifacts circa 1870 to 1890's and displayed at the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum; Provenance: From the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum in Tombstone, Arizona. The collection contains a variety of artifacts pertaining to the lifestyle of "Soiled Doves" in Tombstone during the late 19th century. The first is a perfume bottle found in Tombstone and is embossed with: Ed. Pinaud, Paris and comes with an original museum tag that reads as follows: 1880's perfume bottle found in Tombstone. The next item is a collection of the same size opium bottles (more like dosage vials) and come with an original museum tag that reads as follows: 1880's opium bottles. The next item is a larger bottle/ vial used for opium or a larger dse and comes with an original museum tag that reads as follows: Opium Bottle. There are two tickets for the Bijou Dramatic Company to admit to a show one for 25¢ and the other for 75¢. the next item is a small CDV of a comical scene of a little girl with a dog on a chair standing on its hind legs and is for a stamp sample. The next item is a brass FOB in the shape of a heart and shows repousse decoration of a flower at the hearts bottom point and comes with an original museum tag that reads as follows: Found in Tombstone. The next two items tin tops to condom tins that are embossed with: 3 Merry Windows - Agnes-Mabel-Beckle and come with two original museum tags that read as follows: 3 Merry Windows found in Bird Cage Theater - 3 Merry Windows dug in Tombstone. The next item is a glass douche that is completely intact with holes in the bulb to distribute the fragrance and comes with an original museum tag that reads as follows: Glass Douche Piece found in Tombstone. The last item is a full box of cough drops and the packaging reads as follows: Stop that tickling cough in 5 minutes with Bunte Chicago Menthol Horehound Cough Drops. The packaging shows a man with a cough holding a hand in a fist and one open to catch the cough. The Bird Cage Theater in Tombstone, Arizona, was a notorious entertainment venue during the 1880s, operating as a saloon, theater, gambling hall, and brothel all under one roof. It earned a raucous reputation as one of the wildest spots in the West, where gunfights, gambling, and late-night revelry were commonplace. The "Soiled Doves" (a term used for the prostitutes who worked in curtained balconies above the main hall) lived hard and dangerous lives, often relying on opium to cope with their harsh realities. They used rudimentary condoms made from animal intestines, offering a crude form of protection in an era with little medical oversight. Despite their marginalized role, many of the women attended performances and mingled with cowboys, miners, and drifters, becoming an inseparable part of the Bird Cage’s infamous legacy. The condition of this collection of "Soiled Dove" found artifacts is preserved with some patina adorning the condom tins and the cough drops have lost their smell but seem to be just exposed and a patina adorning the decorative FOB but otherwise shows a preserved condition. The measurements of this of this collection ranges from 1 3/4" x 1 3/4" to 3 3/4" x 2". The collective weight of this TT-47

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