North American Auction Company
Live Auction

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.
North American Auction Company tucker@naabid.com
Lot 209

Tombstone, A.T. "Old City Hall" John Clum Desk

Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000
Current Bid
$3,500

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 Tombstone, Arizona Territory "Old City Hall" Mayor John Clum writing or drafting desk circa 1880's and was displayed at the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum; Provenance: From the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum in Tombstone, Arizona. The writing desk features a wonderfully and professionally crafted draft or writing desk design that shows two towers with a waist high writing medium that shows a wide drafting area for documents and was housed in City Hall in Tombstone and used by John Clum himself during his time as mayor starting in 1881 surrounding all of the unrest following the Gunfight at the O.K. Coral. John Clum was a pivotal figure in Tombstone’s early history, known for his roles as a newspaper editor, Indian agent, and mayor. Born in 1851 in New York, Clum graduated from Rutgers College and later became the Indian agent at the San Carlos Apache Reservation, where he earned a reputation for his fair and progressive policies, most notably capturing Geronimo without bloodshed. In 1880, he moved to Tombstone and founded The Tombstone Epitaph, a newspaper that supported law and order in a volatile boomtown. Clum became Tombstone’s first elected mayor in 1881, during a time of mounting tension between lawmen like the Earps and the outlaw Cowboys. As mayor, he backed the Earps and worked to stabilize the city’s political structure, but after increasing threats and an assassination attempt, he left Tombstone in 1882. Clum’s leadership and advocacy for civil governance left a lasting mark on the town’s turbulent early years. The condition of this Mayoral writing desk is well preserved with some wear to the wooden frame consistent with age and shows the locking mechanisms missing from the writing desk but otherwise shows a well preserved condition. The measurements of this drafting desk is 51" x 72 1/2" x 28 1/2". The collective weight of this writing desk is TT38

All items will ship at our North American Auction Company in-house shipping department. Please allow up to 14-21 days after a complete invoice payment is made to package and ship your purchase. After you are notified of your winning bids from our company and your item invoice is paid in full our new shipping department will contact you. Make sure when signing up with our company that your preferred shipping information is up to date as this information will be used to estimate shipping cost. Once the items have been packaged our team will contact you for shipping payment. Shipping invoices and payment will be completely separately than the items invoice. Please notify the shipping department with any alternate request or instructions at mark@naabid.com or 800-686-4216 ext. 3. For a shipping quote please contact the same information above. PLEASE NOTE a shipping quote price can fluctuate in price. Auction company is not responsible for actual shipping cost being higher than quoted shipping cost. Thank you for trusting North American Auction Co. with your bids and shipping. As our shipping department is brand new please understand that delays can be expected.